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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. firm — decided
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. field — a subject
  7. bore — to drill
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. firm — steady
  10. tube — a container
  11. land — ground
  12. field — farmland
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. land — to come down
  15. snap — to click
  16. bore — to tire
  17. land — a country
  18. bark — to shout
  19. field — for sport
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. toast — bread
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. firm — a company
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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