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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. tube — the underground
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. last — to go on
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. last — final
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. last — finally
  11. bark — to shout
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. tube — a container
  14. bulb — for light
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mark — a trace
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mouse — the animal

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