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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  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. bear — to put up with
  2. land — ground
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. land — to come down
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. branch — a division
  12. land — a country
  13. band — a music group
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. bark — to shout
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. perch — the fish
  21. band — a ring
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  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