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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. key — the most important part
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. key — in music
  8. charge — a price
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. drill — army training
  13. key — for a lock
  14. cold — an illness
  15. drill — a practice
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. charge — electricity
  18. bark — to shout
  19. saw — the tool
  20. charge — in control
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. drill — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  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