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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. mug — a face
  5. bound — certain
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. track — a path
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bark — to shout
  16. ground — a position
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bound — obliged
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a song
  21. bound — tied together
  22. ground — the earth
  23. mug — a cup
  24. ground — crushed

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