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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bat · bark · mouse · tube · bay · trunk · firm · game

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. firm — a company
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. game — a match
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. tube — the underground
  8. firm — steady
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. game — wild animals
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. firm — decided
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. tube — in a tire

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