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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. band — a music group
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. press — newspapers
  7. bat — the animal
  8. band — a ring
  9. bark — to shout
  10. press — a publisher
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. press — to push
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. mine — an explosive

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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