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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bark — to shout
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. ground — crushed
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. ground — the earth
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. board — a committee
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. ground — a position
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — soda
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. board — to get on
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. pop — music

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