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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — obliged
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. staff — employees
  7. prune — to trim
  8. drill — army training
  9. staff — employees
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. drill — the tool
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. drill — a practice
  18. mark — a trace
  19. bark — to shout
  20. field — farmland
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. staff — a stick
  24. trunk — of a tree

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