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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 116 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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. net — for catching
  3. tube — a container
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. bark — to shout
  7. wax — to grow
  8. pop — to visit
  9. net — after costs
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. pop — music
  13. tube — the underground
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. spring — of water
  17. pop — soda
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. spring — a coil
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. spring — the season
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. net — in sport

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