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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 120 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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. land — to come down
  5. suit — in cards
  6. suit — clothes
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. suit — to fit
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. key — in music
  13. tube — a container
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — to visit
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — the most important part
  18. land — a country
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. tube — the underground
  21. land — ground
  22. kid — child
  23. pop — soda
  24. bark — of a tree

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