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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bark — to shout
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. game — a match
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — to grow
  16. lie — to recline
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. game — wild animals
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. mark — a grade

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