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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: ground · wake · pop · trunk · bulb · straw · present · perch

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. present — the time now
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. present — a gift
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — a trail
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bulb — for light
  9. ground — a position
  10. pop — soda
  11. bulb — for light
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — to visit
  14. perch — the fish
  15. ground — the earth
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. present — there
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. straw — dry grass

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