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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. can — to be able to
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. mug — a face
  8. tube — a container
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. mug — a cup
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. roll — a list
  16. tube — the underground
  17. mug — to rob
  18. roll — a cake
  19. can — a tin
  20. bark — to shout
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. can — a tin
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. prune — to trim

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