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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. bear — the animal
  3. spell — letters
  4. lean — thin
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. lean — to bend
  10. chest — of your body
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — hasty
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rash — a series
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. bark — to shout
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  24. spell — magic

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