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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: bark · mug · stick · ground · fan · tube · jam · last

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. ground — crushed
  3. mug — a face
  4. mug — a cup
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. tube — a container
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. ground — a position
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. last — final
  11. last — finally
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. ground — the earth
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. last — to go on
  23. tube — the underground
  24. mug — to rob

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