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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rush — hurry
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. mark — a grade
  9. fine — all right
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. rash — hasty
  12. kid — to tease
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bark — to shout
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. fine — high quality
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mark — a trace
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. prune — to trim
  22. kid — child
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. rash — a series

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