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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. hand — help
  6. band — a music group
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. band — a ring
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bear — the animal
  13. fork — in a road
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bark — to shout
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. rash — a series
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. fork — to eat with
  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