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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. tube — the underground
  5. object — to protest
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — in a road
  11. object — an aim
  12. band — a music group
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. band — a ring
  21. foot — a measure
  22. tube — a container
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. band — a rubber band

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