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

Word bank: bark · bay · court · ground · kid · bulb · lash · trunk

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. court — for sport
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. ground — crushed
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. ground — the earth
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. bulb — for light
  12. ground — a position
  13. bulb — for light
  14. court — of law
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — to shout
  18. kid — child
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. court — of a king

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