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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. bat — the animal
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. craft — boats
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bark — to shout
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. fork — in a road
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. dip — to sink
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. craft — a skill
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. lie — to recline
  24. trunk — of a car

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