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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 124 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. bark — to shout
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. band — a music group
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. band — a ring
  11. rash — hasty
  12. pass — a permit
  13. rash — a series
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bear — the animal
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bear — the animal
  24. hide — animal skin

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