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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. tube — a container
  3. roll — a cake
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — the underground
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bark — to shout
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — a law
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. craft — a skill
  14. rule — government
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bound — tied together
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bound — obliged
  21. roll — a list
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. bound — certain
  24. lean — thin

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