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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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Word bank
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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: tube · bark · kid · scale · ground · bore

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. ground — the earth
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — in music
  6. tube — the underground
  7. ground — crushed
  8. tube — a container
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. ground — a position
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bark — to shout

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