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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: trunk · straw · bark · spell · fall · wake · pit · staff

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. fall — the season
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. staff — employees
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. staff — a stick
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. pit — a hole
  11. spell — magic
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. spell — letters
  15. wake — a trail
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. pit — in a race
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bark — to shout
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. staff — employees
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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