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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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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. swing — to play on
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. club — for dancing
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pass — a permit
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. mine — for digging
  14. swing — music
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. club — for golf
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bark — to shout
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. club — a group

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