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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: board · tear · tube · fork · swing · stick

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. board — to get on
  4. board — a committee
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tube — a container
  7. swing — music
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. swing — in golf
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tube — the underground
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. tear — from crying

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