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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.

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: bark · face · wound · sharp · ruler · trunk · mouse · bat

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. wound — an injury
  9. face — to point toward
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bat — the animal
  12. face — part of the head
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. face — to confront
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. wound — an injury
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. sharp — with an edge

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