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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. tube — the underground
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. rash — a series
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bound — obliged
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. tube — a container
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bound — certain
  20. dip — to sink
  21. saw — the tool
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. rash — hasty

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