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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: firm · field · rock · roll · tube · bark · clip · foot

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. clip — to cut
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. firm — decided
  6. roll — a list
  7. bark — to shout
  8. firm — a company
  9. rock — music
  10. roll — a cake
  11. field — for sport
  12. rock — a stone
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — a subject
  15. foot — a measure
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. tube — a container
  19. clip — a video
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. tube — the underground
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. clip — for paper
  24. roll — on a roll

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