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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. rash — a series
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. shower — rain
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. cold — an illness
  7. saw — the tool
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. craft — boats
  11. saw — the tool
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bark — to shout
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. rash — hasty
  17. craft — a skill
  18. cold — not warm
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — to recline
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. shower — to wash
  24. craft — a handicraft

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