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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. game — a match
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cap — of ice
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. tube — the underground
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bark — to shout
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. tube — a container
  14. present — a gift
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. cap — a lid
  17. present — the time now
  18. wound — an injury
  19. squash — the sport
  20. game — wild animals
  21. present — there
  22. cap — a hat
  23. squash — to crush
  24. wound — an injury

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