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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 · shower · bay · rush · plane · bark · track · chest

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  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. plane — an aircraft
  2. rush — hurry
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — rain
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. bark — to shout
  16. plane — a tool
  17. chest — of your body
  18. track — to keep track
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. chest — a box
  22. track — a song
  23. track — a path
  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