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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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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: present · ball · trunk · hand · bark · last · dip · leaves

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. last — to go on
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. present — a gift
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. dip — to sink
  15. present — there
  16. last — finally
  17. bark — to shout
  18. last — final
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. present — the time now
  24. ball — a dance

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