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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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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. plane — a tool
  3. tube — the underground
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — in golf
  7. tube — a container
  8. mate — a partner
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. bark — to shout
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — the tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. mark — a trace
  17. file — a tool
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mark — a grade
  21. drill — army training
  22. mate — to breed
  23. swing — to play on
  24. file — a document

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