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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: leaves · trunk · kick · scale · perch · file · fork · rash

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. file — a tool
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. kick — in football
  6. rash — hasty
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. scale — in music
  9. fork — in a road
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. rash — a series
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. file — a line of people
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. file — a document
  22. scale — size or range
  23. perch — the fish
  24. scale — for weighing

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