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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 120 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. tube — the underground
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. pass — a permit
  11. tube — a container
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. ground — the earth
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bark — to shout
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. ground — crushed
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bear — the animal
  23. ground — a position
  24. fall — to drop

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