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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — to shout
  5. pop — to visit
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. branch — a division
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. pop — soda
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. last — finally
  18. pop — music
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. stock — goods
  21. last — final
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stock — shares
  24. last — to go on

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