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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: bark · kid · trunk · ruler · rash · rock · game · wound

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. rash — a series
  3. game — wild animals
  4. kid — to tease
  5. wound — an injury
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. bark — to shout
  12. kid — child
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. game — a match
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rash — hasty

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