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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. ground — the earth
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. prune — to trim
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. court — of law
  14. court — for sport
  15. pit — in a race
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. ground — a position
  18. court — of a king
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. prune — to trim

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