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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 124 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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. firm — decided
  6. season — of the year
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. spring — a coil
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. season — in sport
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. bark — to shout
  13. kick — in football
  14. spring — of water
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. spring — the season
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. firm — a company
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. dip — to sink

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