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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bark — to shout
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — to cut
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. snap — to click
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. clip — a video
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. squash — the sport
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. squash — to crush
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. tube — a container

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