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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cap — of ice
  7. pound — a weight
  8. track — a song
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. track — a path
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. field — a subject
  20. track — to keep track
  21. field — farmland
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cap — a lid
  24. field — for sport

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