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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — a container
  4. chest — a box
  5. bank — for money
  6. lean — thin
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. tube — the underground
  11. lean — to bend
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — of a river
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bark — of a tree

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