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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — low music
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. can — a tin
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. dip — to sink
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. can — to be able to
  14. field — a subject
  15. bark — to shout
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. can — a tin
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. spell — magic
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. spell — a short time
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. spell — letters

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