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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 116 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. can — to be able to
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. spell — magic
  5. swing — music
  6. band — a music group
  7. tube — the underground
  8. fall — the season
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. swing — in golf
  11. can — a tin
  12. fall — to drop
  13. spell — letters
  14. can — a tin
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. spell — a short time
  17. tube — a container
  18. fall — to drop
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. swing — to play on
  24. band — a ring

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