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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. cell — in biology
  3. key — in music
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. row — to paddle
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. row — a line
  8. bark — to shout
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. key — for a lock
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — music
  13. branch — a division
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. tube — the underground
  17. cell — a phone
  18. roll — a cake
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. key — the most important part
  22. roll — a list
  23. pop — to visit
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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