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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. firm — a company
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. cold — an illness
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — crushed
  7. firm — decided
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stand — to bear
  11. ground — a position
  12. tube — the underground
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. cold — not warm
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — to shout
  18. squash — to crush
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. firm — steady
  22. tube — a container
  23. squash — the sport
  24. cold — the Cold War

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