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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 116 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bark — to shout
  5. row — to paddle
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. tube — a container
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bass — low music
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for golf
  16. mate — to breed
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. row — a line
  19. kid — child
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. bass — the instrument

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