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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. ground — a position
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. mark — a grade
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — a container
  11. mark — a trace
  12. tube — the underground
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. ground — the earth
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bark — to shout

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