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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. cap — of ice
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. cap — a hat
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. band — a ring
  12. last — to go on
  13. shower — rain
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. last — finally
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. shower — to wash
  19. last — final
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. band — a music group
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bark — to shout

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