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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. ball — a dance
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. track — to keep track
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. bear — the animal
  13. track — a song
  14. tube — a container
  15. foot — a measure
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. tube — the underground
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. track — a path
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. ball — a great time
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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