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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. tube — a container
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. stock — goods
  7. bat — the animal
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. band — a ring
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. can — to be able to
  15. tube — the underground
  16. can — a tin
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. can — a tin
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. patient — a sick person

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