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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: kid · swing · perch · trunk · lash · field · can · bear

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — for sport
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — to play on
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. field — farmland
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. can — a tin
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. kid — to tease
  19. can — a tin
  20. kid — child
  21. can — to be able to
  22. bear — the animal
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. perch — the fish

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