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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. row — a line
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. band — a ring
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bark — to shout
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. band — a music group
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. row — to paddle
  23. snap — to click
  24. band — a rubber band

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