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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. kid — child
  3. club — for golf
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. club — a group
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. wake — a trail
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. club — for dancing
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. spell — letters
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bark — to shout
  19. spell — magic
  20. plane — a tool
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. spell — a short time

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