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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. mug — to rob
  4. bulb — for light
  5. mug — a face
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. wake — a trail
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. tube — a container
  12. bark — to shout
  13. row — to paddle
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bulb — for light
  16. chip — for betting
  17. mug — a cup
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — to eat
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. row — a line
  24. fan — to cool the air

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