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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.

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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: ground · trunk · rush · ball · arm · fine · fall · perch

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. ground — crushed
  3. fall — the season
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ground — a position
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. rush — hurry
  9. fall — to drop
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. fall — to drop
  13. ball — a dance
  14. fine — high quality
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. ground — the earth
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. perch — the fish
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. fine — all right
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. trunk — of a tree

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