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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. march — the month
  5. rash — hasty
  6. land — ground
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bat — the animal
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. land — a country
  11. march — music
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. rash — a series
  18. can — a tin
  19. march — the month
  20. bark — to shout
  21. land — to come down
  22. can — a tin
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. ruler — a monarch

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