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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. staff — a stick
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. staff — employees
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. track — a path
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bark — to shout
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. chip — for betting
  18. track — a song
  19. staff — employees
  20. track — to keep track
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. cell — in biology
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. chip — to eat

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