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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. staff — employees
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. staff — a stick
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. branch — a division
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. craft — boats
  14. game — a match
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. staff — employees
  17. craft — a skill
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. can — a tin
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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