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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bark — to shout
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. land — ground
  7. craft — boats
  8. cap — a hat
  9. game — wild animals
  10. cap — a lid
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. game — a match
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. craft — a skill
  20. land — to come down
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. land — a country
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. leaves — to go away

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