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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. charge — electricity
  4. dip — to sink
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bank — for money
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bat — the animal
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. charge — a price
  18. bark — to shout
  19. hand — help
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. charge — in control

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