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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: shower · rash · straw · track · racket · trunk · leaves · perch

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. shower — to wash
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. rash — hasty
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. shower — rain
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. rash — a series
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. track — a song
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. perch — the fish
  23. track — a path
  24. track — to keep track

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com