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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. tube — the underground
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. plane — a tool
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. band — a ring
  17. tube — a container
  18. band — a music group
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. bark — to shout
  22. lie — to recline
  23. hand — help
  24. mouse — for a computer

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