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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 116 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: trunk · pound · leaves · tube · hide · bark · spring · firm

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. pound — a weight
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. spring — of water
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. firm — steady
  14. firm — a company
  15. bark — to shout
  16. tube — a container
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. spring — the season
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. firm — decided
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. tube — the underground

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