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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. drill — army training
  4. content — happy
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. drill — a practice
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — for a lock
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — to get on
  16. drill — the tool
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. key — in music
  21. content — the amount
  22. plane — a tool
  23. stem — to come from
  24. board — a flat piece

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