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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. pound — a weight
  6. root — the cause
  7. roll — a cake
  8. root — of a plant
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. tube — the underground
  11. roll — a list
  12. swing — to play on
  13. shower — to wash
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. swing — in golf
  16. tube — a container
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. shower — rain
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. swing — music
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. root — of a word
  24. pound — to hit hard

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