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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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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: tube · kid · bay · rash · swing · fork · present · bark

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. present — a gift
  3. bark — to shout
  4. rash — hasty
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. tube — the underground
  9. present — the time now
  10. tube — a container
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. fork — in a road
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. swing — music
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. swing — in golf
  18. present — there
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. swing — to play on
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. bark — of a tree

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