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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 116 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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. court — for sport
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bank — for money
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. last — finally
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — of law
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. last — to go on
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bank — for money
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. dip — to sink
  18. sharp — clever
  19. saw — the tool
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bank — of a river
  22. saw — the tool
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. last — final

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