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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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. ground — the earth
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. band — a music group
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. suit — to fit
  8. season — of the year
  9. ground — crushed
  10. suit — in cards
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. suit — clothes
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. object — to protest
  16. ground — a position
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. band — a ring
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bark — to shout
  21. season — in sport
  22. object — an aim
  23. bark — of a tree
  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