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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 120 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: ruler · mark · spring · bark · trunk · mate · snap · deal

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. mate — a partner
  3. spring — the season
  4. mate — to breed
  5. bark — to shout
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mate — a friend
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. mark — a grade
  11. snap — to click
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. spring — of water
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. spring — a coil
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. mark — a trace
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. ruler — for measuring

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