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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bark · ball · bowl · pit · trunk · chest · spring · craft

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. pit — in a race
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. spring — of water
  9. ball — a dance
  10. chest — a box
  11. pit — a hole
  12. spring — a coil
  13. craft — boats
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. chest — of your body
  17. craft — a skill
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. spring — the season
  21. chest — of your body
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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