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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 water is too ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. hand — help
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bark — to shout
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. charge — in control
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. charge — a price
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. charge — electricity
  23. hand — in cards
  24. cold — an illness

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