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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — army training
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rock — music
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bark — to shout
  10. drill — the tool
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — in cards
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. deal — to handle
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. bat — the animal

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