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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. saw — the tool
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. row — a line
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. chip — for betting
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bark — to shout
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. chip — to eat
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. saw — the tool
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. wake — a trail
  24. row — to paddle

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