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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bear — the animal
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. rock — music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. bark — to shout
  13. key — in music
  14. bear — the animal
  15. cold — an illness
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. staff — employees
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. staff — a stick
  20. rock — a stone
  21. staff — employees
  22. tube — a container
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. key — the most important part

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