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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 120 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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. squash — the sport
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. chest — of your body
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bulb — for light
  23. mine — for digging
  24. rush — hurry

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