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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: date · tube · toast · roll · bark · perch · kick · fine

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. roll — a cake
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. date — the fruit
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. perch — the fish
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. fine — all right
  13. bark — to shout
  14. tube — a container
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. kick — in football
  20. tube — the underground
  21. toast — bread
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. roll — a list
  24. fine — a penalty

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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