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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.

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: bat · trunk · land · bulb · sharp · bark · coach · ball

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bark — to shout
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. ball — a great time
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bulb — for light
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. land — a country
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. land — to come down
  19. ball — a dance
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bulb — for light
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. land — ground

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