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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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 an elephant
  3. season — in sport
  4. race — humankind
  5. present — the time now
  6. bark — to shout
  7. present — a gift
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. race — a contest
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — a short time
  12. hand — help
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. hand — in cards
  20. spell — magic
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. present — there
  23. race — the arms race
  24. trunk — of a car

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