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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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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: land · trunk · wake · chip · perch · coach · rash · spring

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — the fish
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. land — to come down
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. spring — of water
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. chip — for betting
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. chip — to eat
  17. rash — a series
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. rash — hasty
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. spring — the season
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. spring — a coil

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