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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: trunk · present · mug · rush · row · hide · kid · bark

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. present — there
  6. row — a line
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. mug — to rob
  10. present — a gift
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — child
  13. rush — hurry
  14. mug — a face
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. kid — to tease
  18. present — the time now
  19. bark — to shout
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. row — to paddle

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