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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: game · stick · cap · trunk · wound · perch · plane · roll

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. wound — an injury
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. cap — a hat
  5. game — a match
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. plane — a tool
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. cap — of ice
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. perch — the fish
  12. wound — an injury
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. roll — a cake
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. cap — a lid
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. game — wild animals
  24. plane — in geometry

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