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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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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: ball · mine · mark · perch · spring · trunk · pop · lash

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mark — a trace
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. mark — a grade
  6. spring — the season
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — for digging
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — soda
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. ball — a great time
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. spring — of water
  19. pop — music
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. ball — a dance
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. perch — the fish

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