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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · mate · fan · pitcher · club · mine · lash · tube

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. mate — a partner
  5. tube — the underground
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. club — for golf
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. club — a group
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. tube — a container
  18. mine — for digging
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — to shout
  22. mate — to breed
  23. club — for dancing
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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