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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bark — to shout
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. pit — a hole
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. rush — hurry
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. cold — an illness
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. wound — an injury

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