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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: mine · trunk · object · drill · bark · cue · shower · band

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. cue — a signal
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. drill — the tool
  6. cue — for pool
  7. drill — army training
  8. cue — a hint
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. band — a ring
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. drill — a practice
  16. object — to protest
  17. bark — to shout
  18. mine — for digging
  19. shower — rain
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. object — a thing
  22. band — a music group
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. mine — an explosive

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