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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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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: perch · wind · trunk · mate · root · key · fine · sharp

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. key — the most important part
  4. mate — a friend
  5. wind — moving air
  6. root — of a plant
  7. root — the cause
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. wind — moving air
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. sharp — clever
  13. key — for a lock
  14. mate — to breed
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. root — of a word
  17. perch — the fish
  18. mate — a partner
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. fine — high quality
  21. key — in music
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. fine — all right
  24. sharp — exactly

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