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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — to shout
  4. cell — a phone
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — the underground
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. tube — a container
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. net — in sport
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. net — after costs
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. cell — in biology
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. net — for catching
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. wake — a trail

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