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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. roll — a list
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. mate — a friend
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. bark — to shout
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bore — to tire
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. roll — a cake
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. mate — to breed
  21. plane — a tool
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. fine — high quality

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