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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.

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: scale · trunk · bark · mate · perch · game · chest · spell

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. perch — the fish
  5. game — a match
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. chest — a box
  8. spell — letters
  9. mate — to breed
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. scale — size or range
  14. mate — a friend
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. chest — of your body
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. scale — in music
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. chest — of your body
  23. mate — a partner
  24. spell — magic

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