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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · ground · jam · rest · bear · bark · mine · trunk

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. ground — a position
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. rock — music
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. ground — the earth
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. rest — what's left
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. mine — for digging
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bear — the animal
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. rock — a stone
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. ground — crushed
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. rest — a break

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