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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · rock · kick · ground · straw · tube · bark · wave

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. tube — a container
  5. rock — music
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. game — wild animals
  8. rock — a stone
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. kick — in football
  11. game — a match
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — to shout
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. ground — crushed
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. ground — a position

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