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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. net — for catching
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — to paddle
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. row — a line
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — the underground
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. net — after costs
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. drill — army training
  16. net — in sport
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. tube — a container
  21. foot — a measure
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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