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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. chair — a leader
  8. bark — to shout
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. drill — army training
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rush — hurry
  18. drill — a practice
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. drill — the tool
  24. rush — a thrill

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