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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. content — happy
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. tube — the underground
  14. content — the amount
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. tube — a container
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bark — to shout
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the air

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