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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
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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: fall · trunk · bark · bound · swing · rule · bat · mine

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bark — to shout
  3. rule — a law
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — certain
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. swing — in golf
  12. rule — government
  13. swing — music
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. fall — to drop
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bound — obliged
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. bat — the animal

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