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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: pit · spell · fine · shower · staff · perch · trunk · ground

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. ground — the earth
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. staff — employees
  8. shower — to wash
  9. spell — a short time
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. ground — crushed
  12. spell — magic
  13. pit — a hole
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. fine — high quality
  16. staff — a stick
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pit — in a race
  19. perch — the fish
  20. staff — employees
  21. fine — all right
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. spell — letters
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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