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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 124 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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. shower — to wash
  6. ground — the earth
  7. object — a thing
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. object — to protest
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. prune — to trim
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. object — an aim
  18. shower — rain
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bark — to shout
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — crushed
  23. leaves — lets stay
  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