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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wound — an injury
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. wound — an injury
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. kid — child
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. toast — bread
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. kid — to tease
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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