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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. tube — the underground
  8. craft — a skill
  9. stand — to bear
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. craft — boats
  12. wound — an injury
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — a container
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. craft — a handicraft

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