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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mate — a partner
  4. wound — an injury
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mate — a friend
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. mine — for digging
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bass — low music
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bass — the fish
  21. mate — to breed
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. prune — to trim
  24. trunk — of a car

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