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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: sharp · mate · bore · rest · jam · trunk · bark · staff

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. rest — what's left
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — to shout
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. staff — employees
  9. bore — to drill
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. staff — employees
  13. mate — a partner
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. staff — a stick
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — to breed
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. bore — to tire
  23. rest — a break
  24. sharp — clever

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