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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: march · bark · dip · tube · rock · wound · rash · hand

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. 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. rash — a series
  2. tube — a container
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. dip — to sink
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rock — music
  7. rash — hasty
  8. march — the month
  9. rock — a stone
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. march — the month
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — the underground
  16. hand — help
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. hand — in cards
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. march — music
  24. 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