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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mug — to rob
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. kid — to tease
  5. mug — a cup
  6. cap — a hat
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. mate — a friend
  11. cap — a lid
  12. mate — a partner
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bark — to shout
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — in football
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. mug — a face
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. kid — child
  24. trunk — of a tree

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