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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. pop — music
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. staff — employees
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. pop — soda
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. mark — a trace
  13. staff — a stick
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bark — to shout
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. staff — employees
  24. pop — to visit

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