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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. land — a country
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. land — to come down
  6. rock — music
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tear — from crying
  9. scale — in music
  10. tear — to rip
  11. scale — size or range
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. land — ground
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. tube — a container
  20. kid — child
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bark — to shout
  24. kid — to tease

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