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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: land · cabinet · tube · bark · stand · jam · row · hand

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. tube — the underground
  9. hand — in cards
  10. land — to come down
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. land — a country
  14. stand — to bear
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. tube — a container
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. hand — help
  21. bark — to shout
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. row — a line
  24. land — ground

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