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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · lie · straw · chip · can · perch · cabinet · trunk

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. chip — for betting
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. can — a tin
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. can — to be able to
  9. spring — a coil
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. perch — the fish
  14. chip — to eat
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. spring — of water
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. can — a tin
  22. spring — the season
  23. lie — to recline
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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