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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: trunk · bark · pit · ground · cell · rash · season · rock

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. rock — a stone
  3. pit — in a race
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. rock — music
  7. rash — a series
  8. pit — a hole
  9. ground — crushed
  10. cell — in biology
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. rash — hasty
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. season — of the year
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. cell — a phone
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. season — in sport

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