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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 120 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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bark — to shout
  9. face — to point toward
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. drill — army training
  13. root — of a word
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bear — the animal
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. root — the cause
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. root — of a plant
  22. face — to confront
  23. drill — a practice
  24. prune — to trim

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