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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: staff · race · pitcher · bark · rash · rest · spring · tube

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. spring — the season
  4. rest — a break
  5. rest — what's left
  6. race — a contest
  7. spring — a coil
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — a container
  10. rest — what's left
  11. staff — employees
  12. rash — a series
  13. staff — employees
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. race — the arms race
  17. race — humankind
  18. staff — a stick
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. spring — of water
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — on the skin

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