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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 124 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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. chest — of your body
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. ball — a great time
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. branch — a division
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. ball — a dance
  18. bark — to shout
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — a box

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