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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. saw — the tool
  3. tube — the underground
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — magic
  11. club — for golf
  12. date — the fruit
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a song
  15. club — for dancing
  16. track — a path
  17. bark — to shout
  18. spell — letters
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. toast — bread
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. club — a group
  24. tube — a container

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