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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. net — after costs
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cap — a hat
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. cap — of ice
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. cap — a lid
  11. mate — a friend
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. saw — the tool
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. tube — a container
  20. net — for catching
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mate — to breed
  23. net — in sport
  24. tube — the underground

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