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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  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. bank — of a river
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. season — in sport
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bank — for money
  8. cue — for pool
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. season — of the year
  13. hand — help
  14. cue — a signal
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — in a race
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. bank — for money
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  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