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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rest — a break
  3. wound — an injury
  4. suit — in cards
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. suit — clothes
  8. suit — to fit
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bark — to shout
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rest — what's left
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. rest — what's left
  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