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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: bark · wind · bay · pit · fork · rush · tube · net

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. pit — a hole
  4. rush — hurry
  5. tube — the underground
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. pit — in a race
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bark — to shout
  12. net — after costs
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. net — for catching
  17. fork — in a road
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. net — in sport
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. wind — moving air

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