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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bound — tied together
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. wound — an injury
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wound — an injury
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bound — certain
  9. field — a subject
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bound — obliged
  15. court — of a king
  16. lie — to recline
  17. field — farmland
  18. row — a line
  19. field — for sport
  20. court — of law
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. court — for sport
  23. bark — to shout
  24. row — a quarrel

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