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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. mate — a partner
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. rest — what's left
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. rest — a break
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bark — to shout
  16. scale — size or range
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. mate — a friend
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bore — to tire
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. scale — in music

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