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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. cold — an illness
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. firm — steady
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. firm — decided
  8. shower — rain
  9. firm — a company
  10. object — a thing
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. capital — money
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bark — to shout
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. cold — not warm
  19. capital — a city
  20. object — to protest
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. object — an aim

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