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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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Word bank
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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — a container
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. capital — money
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — shares
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. capital — a city
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bark — to shout
  24. prune — to trim

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