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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. fine — high quality
  4. cap — a hat
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. fine — all right
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — to shout
  10. cap — a lid
  11. pitch — completely
  12. saw — the tool
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — thin
  15. object — an aim
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. object — to protest
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. cap — of ice
  24. object — a thing

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