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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. track — a song
  3. bark — to shout
  4. file — a document
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. cue — a hint
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. land — ground
  12. file — a line of people
  13. pit — a hole
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. track — to keep track
  16. cue — for pool
  17. pit — in a race
  18. cue — a signal
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. tube — the underground
  21. file — a tool
  22. snap — to click
  23. track — a path
  24. tube — a container

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