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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. tube — a container
  7. stock — shares
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. tube — the underground
  11. stock — goods
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. game — wild animals
  14. vault — a safe
  15. game — a match
  16. fall — to drop
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. bark — to shout
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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