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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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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 · foot · perch · ground · swing · pit · object · jam

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. swing — in golf
  5. pit — in a race
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. ground — crushed
  11. swing — music
  12. foot — a measure
  13. ground — the earth
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. object — to protest
  16. swing — to play on
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. pit — a hole
  19. ground — a position
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. object — a thing
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. object — an aim
  24. trunk — of a tree

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