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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: lash · mine · tear · mouse · foot · trunk · perch · band

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. band — a music group
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. band — a ring
  7. foot — a measure
  8. mine — for digging
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. tear — to rip
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. tear — from crying
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. tear — from crying
  24. trunk — of a car

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