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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 120 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. season — in sport
  4. tube — the underground
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. tube — a container
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. key — in music
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — for a lock
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bark — to shout
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. season — of the year

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