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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bore — to tire
  6. dip — to sink
  7. plane — a tool
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bore — to drill
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bowl — to roll

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