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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. file — a document
  3. bark — to shout
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. net — in sport
  6. rash — hasty
  7. march — the month
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. march — music
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. net — for catching
  16. file — a tool
  17. net — after costs
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. tube — a container
  22. pit — a hole
  23. file — a line of people
  24. march — the month

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