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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 120 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — a tin
  3. rash — a series
  4. tube — a container
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bark — to shout
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. bound — obliged
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bound — certain
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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