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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. mine — for digging
  7. tube — a container
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. tube — the underground
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. bark — to shout
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. craft — a skill
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. snap — to click

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