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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: perch · cue · tear · trunk · squash · kick · wake · bore

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. perch — the fish
  5. wake — a trail
  6. cue — a signal
  7. tear — to rip
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bore — to tire
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. squash — to crush
  15. kick — in football
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a hint
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. tear — from crying
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. tear — from crying
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. squash — the sport

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