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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. row — a line
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. tube — a container
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. cell — in biology
  10. capital — money
  11. cell — a phone
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — to shout
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. tube — the underground
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. row — to paddle
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bowl — to roll

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