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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: hand · tube · pop · bark · bear · sharp · bay · deal

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. pop — to visit
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. bear — the animal
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — the underground
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. tube — a container
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. pop — soda
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. hand — in cards
  18. sharp — clever
  19. hand — help
  20. deal — to handle
  21. pop — music
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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