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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: saw · trunk · lean · last · stock · game · pit · perch

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. last — to go on
  3. stock — shares
  4. game — a match
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. last — finally
  8. pit — in a race
  9. lean — to bend
  10. saw — the tool
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. last — final
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stock — goods
  16. pit — a hole
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. lean — thin
  23. game — wild animals
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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