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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — a container
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bark — to shout
  10. pop — music
  11. fork — in a road
  12. current — electric
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. current — happening now
  15. pop — to visit
  16. current — of water
  17. suit — clothes
  18. wound — an injury
  19. suit — to fit
  20. wound — an injury
  21. tube — the underground
  22. pop — soda
  23. suit — in cards
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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