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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 116 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.

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: ground · straw · trunk · perch · plane · game · fine · hide

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. plane — a tool
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. ground — the earth
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. game — wild animals
  14. fine — all right
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. fine — high quality
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. ground — a position
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. ground — crushed

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