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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. rock — a stone
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. tube — the underground
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. land — to come down
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bark — to shout
  15. roll — a list
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rock — music
  19. tube — a container
  20. land — ground
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. land — a country
  24. mouse — the animal

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