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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. capital — money
  5. face — to point toward
  6. capital — a city
  7. drill — army training
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. drill — the tool
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bark — to shout
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. saw — the tool
  23. drill — a practice
  24. bark — 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