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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — the underground
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. squash — the sport
  7. land — ground
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. roll — a list
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. squash — to crush
  20. land — a country
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bark — to shout
  24. land — to come down

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