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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. mate — to breed
  4. spring — the season
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. mate — a friend
  7. spring — a coil
  8. mug — a cup
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. mate — a partner
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. ball — a dance
  14. hand — help
  15. mug — to rob
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mug — a face
  18. spring — of water
  19. bark — to shout
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. hand — in cards
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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