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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 120 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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bass — the fish
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. net — for catching
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. ground — a position
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. net — in sport
  11. tube — a container
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. rock — a stone
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bark — to shout
  17. rock — music
  18. pitch — completely
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bass — low music
  21. ground — crushed
  22. net — after costs
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bass — the instrument

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