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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — a thing
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. roll — a cake
  6. field — farmland
  7. can — a tin
  8. present — there
  9. net — in sport
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. can — a tin
  12. tube — a container
  13. can — to be able to
  14. bark — to shout
  15. roll — a list
  16. net — for catching
  17. tube — the underground
  18. present — the time now
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — a subject
  22. object — an aim
  23. present — a gift
  24. net — after costs

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