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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · saw · bore · bark · rest · trunk · hide · spell

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bark — to shout
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. spell — magic
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — the animal
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bore — to drill
  15. saw — the tool
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. rest — a break
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. spell — a short time
  23. saw — the tool
  24. spell — letters

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