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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. field — for sport
  8. mine — for digging
  9. staff — employees
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. field — farmland
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. lean — thin
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. deal — to handle
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. staff — a stick
  18. field — a subject
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. staff — employees
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. rush — hurry

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