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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 120 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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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: snap · season · leaves · perch · fall · pit · trunk · file

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pit — in a race
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. snap — to click
  7. perch — the fish
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. file — a tool
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. season — in sport
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. pit — a hole
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. fall — to drop
  18. file — a document
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. file — a line of people
  22. season — of the year
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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