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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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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: file · face · trunk · pound · perch · mark · spring · snap

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — the fish
  3. mark — a grade
  4. face — to point toward
  5. spring — a coil
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. spring — of water
  8. mark — a trace
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. face — part of the head
  11. pound — a weight
  12. face — to confront
  13. file — a line of people
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. spring — the season
  16. file — a document
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. file — a tool
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. snap — to click

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