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

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bound — tied together
  4. game — wild animals
  5. drill — the tool
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. bark — to shout
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. bound — obliged
  13. game — a match
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bound — certain
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. rock — music
  19. prune — to trim
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. wind — moving air
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. drill — army training

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