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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.

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

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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: trunk · lean · dip · perch · rash · track · rush · cold

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. rash — a series
  4. dip — to sink
  5. cold — not warm
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. track — to keep track
  11. cold — an illness
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. lean — to bend
  20. track — a path
  21. rash — hasty
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. track — a song
  24. rush — a thrill

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