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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. hand — help
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bark — to shout
  14. staff — employees
  15. hand — in cards
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. staff — employees
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. staff — a stick
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. fork — in a road

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