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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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Word bank
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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. tube — a container
  4. bark — to shout
  5. field — a subject
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. field — farmland
  8. tube — the underground
  9. rock — music
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. fall — to drop
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. fall — the season
  15. rock — a stone
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. game — wild animals
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. field — for sport
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. pass — a permit
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rock — to move gently

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