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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.

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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: fall · file · present · cue · trunk · perch · pound · clip

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. file — a line of people
  3. present — the time now
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. file — a tool
  7. clip — to cut
  8. fall — to drop
  9. cue — a hint
  10. present — there
  11. present — a gift
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cue — for pool
  14. clip — for paper
  15. perch — the fish
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. fall — the season
  18. clip — a video
  19. cue — a signal
  20. fall — to drop
  21. file — a document
  22. pound — a weight
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. pound — to hit hard

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