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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — the underground
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. track — a path
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bound — tied together
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. prune — to trim
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — completely
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. track — to keep track
  24. track — a song

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