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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. snap — to click
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. file — a line of people
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. file — a document
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. file — a tool
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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