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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 116 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 · straw · bowl · stick · perch · cold · present · pit

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. present — there
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. present — the time now
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. cold — not warm
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. cold — an illness
  18. pit — a hole
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. present — a gift
  22. pit — in a race
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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