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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. kid — child
  4. bark — to shout
  5. clip — a video
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bore — to drill
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. plane — a tool
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bore — to tire
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bear — the animal
  24. clip — to cut

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