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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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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: shower · dip · object · spell · bark · trunk · mug · patient

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. mug — to rob
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. object — a thing
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. dip — to sink
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. spell — magic
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. spell — a short time
  13. shower — rain
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. mug — a cup
  16. spell — letters
  17. mug — a face
  18. object — to protest
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — to wash
  24. trunk — of a tree

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