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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: chair · object · squash · stem · bark · tube · pop · wake

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — the underground
  3. chair — a leader
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — to shout
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. pop — soda
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. squash — to crush
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — to visit
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. object — to protest
  19. stem — to come from
  20. object — an aim
  21. wake — a trail
  22. object — a thing
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chair — a professorship

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