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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. tube — a container
  4. mug — to rob
  5. roll — a list
  6. bark — to shout
  7. race — humankind
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. content — the amount
  11. tube — the underground
  12. mug — a face
  13. roll — a cake
  14. race — the arms race
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. race — a contest
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. mug — a cup
  23. content — happy
  24. tube — in a tire

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