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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. hand — in cards
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. perch — the fish
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. tube — a container
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bark — to shout
  19. hand — help
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. safe — out of danger

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