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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. face — part of the head
  5. mug — to rob
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. tear — from crying
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. tear — from crying
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. pound — a weight
  12. face — to confront
  13. tear — to rip
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — to crush
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. tube — the underground
  19. bark — to shout
  20. tube — a container
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. mug — a face
  24. face — to point toward

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