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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 116 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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. track — a song
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a path
  10. bat — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. branch — a division
  14. bore — to drill
  15. tube — a container
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. tube — the underground

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