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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · wound · spring · arm · trunk · fine · root · object

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. object — an aim
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. root — of a word
  7. root — the cause
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. fine — all right
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. fine — high quality
  12. spring — a coil
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. object — to protest
  16. wound — an injury
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. spring — the season
  20. root — of a plant
  21. object — a thing
  22. perch — the fish
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. spring — of water

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