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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 124 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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. bank — for money
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bank — for money
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. tube — the underground
  10. bark — to shout
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. bear — the animal
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bear — the animal
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — for baseball

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