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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.

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: trunk · perch · season · lash · bulb · march · fan · cold

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. season — of the year
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bulb — for light
  14. season — in sport
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. cold — an illness
  18. perch — the fish
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cold — not warm
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. march — music
  24. lash — to lash out

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