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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 124 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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. net — for catching
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. charge — a price
  8. net — after costs
  9. charge — electricity
  10. net — in sport
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. dip — to sink
  15. roll — a cake
  16. spring — a coil
  17. charge — in control
  18. roll — a list
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — of water
  24. ruler — for measuring

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