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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: ball · snap · spell · mine · trunk · rush · perch · foot

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. foot — a measure
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. snap — to click
  7. ball — a dance
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. perch — the fish
  11. rush — hurry
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — magic
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. spell — letters
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. mine — for digging
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. ball — a great time
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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