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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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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: last · drill · bark · rule · tear · snap · perch · trunk

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. drill — army training
  7. last — final
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. rule — government
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. rule — a law
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. perch — the fish
  18. tear — from crying
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bark — to shout
  21. last — to go on
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — the tool
  24. last — finally

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