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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. spell — a short time
  5. pop — soda
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. pop — music
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. spell — letters
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. spell — magic
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. spring — of water
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. ball — a great time
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. spring — the season
  23. ball — a dance
  24. pop — to visit

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