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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: shower · lie · fork · trunk · scale · bark · hide · cap

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. shower — rain
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cap — a lid
  9. lie — to recline
  10. shower — to wash
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — size or range
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a hat
  24. fork — in a road

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