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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. sharp — clever
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. tube — the underground
  8. bank — for money
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bark — to shout
  12. tube — a container
  13. pit — in a race
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. shower — to wash
  17. prune — to trim
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — of a river
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. shower — rain
  24. pit — a hole

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