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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. firm — steady
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. firm — a company
  6. saw — the tool
  7. capital — money
  8. bark — to shout
  9. firm — decided
  10. drill — army training
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. drill — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. prune — to trim
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. prune — to trim
  21. capital — a city
  22. saw — the tool
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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