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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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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: wake · chest · foot · trunk · bat · perch · file · can

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. file — a document
  3. perch — the fish
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — a box
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. wake — a trail
  10. can — a tin
  11. file — a line of people
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. file — a tool
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. can — a tin
  18. foot — a measure
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. can — to be able to
  24. bat — the animal

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