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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 116 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. prune — to trim
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cue — a hint
  9. rash — a series
  10. swing — in golf
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bark — to shout
  17. swing — to play on
  18. tube — a container
  19. rash — hasty
  20. swing — music
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cue — a signal
  24. bark — of a tree

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