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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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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: trunk · snap · perch · fall · tube · bore · bear · bulb

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bore — to drill
  7. fall — to drop
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. perch — the fish
  10. bear — the animal
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. snap — to click
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. fall — the season
  17. bear — the animal
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. tube — a container
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. fall — to drop

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