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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: land · trunk · straw · date · ground · ball · bark · toast

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. toast — bread
  4. ball — a dance
  5. date — the fruit
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. ground — a position
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bark — to shout
  11. land — to come down
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. ball — a great time
  20. land — ground
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. land — a country
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. ball — a round shape

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