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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. swing — in golf
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. club — a group
  8. content — the amount
  9. bark — to shout
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a plant
  12. swing — music
  13. content — happy
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. root — of a word
  16. swing — to play on
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. club — for golf
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hand — help
  21. tube — a container
  22. club — for dancing
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. hide — to keep secret

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