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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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. bark — to shout
  4. present — the time now
  5. present — a gift
  6. present — there
  7. field — a subject
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. field — for sport
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. last — to go on
  12. field — farmland
  13. last — finally
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. saw — the tool
  16. last — final
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. can — a tin
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. perch — the fish
  21. can — a tin
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. saw — the tool
  24. can — to be able to

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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