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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. track — a path
  8. firm — steady
  9. tube — a container
  10. club — for golf
  11. firm — a company
  12. bark — to shout
  13. track — a song
  14. club — a group
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. firm — decided
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. club — for dancing
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a line
  24. track — to keep track

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