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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: rule · hide · wax · pit · trunk · squash · bark · shower

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. squash — the sport
  5. shower — rain
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. shower — to wash
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pit — a hole
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bark — to shout
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. rule — a law
  20. pit — in a race
  21. wax — to grow
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. squash — to crush
  24. rule — government

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