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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.

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: jam · bark · mark · net · wound · tube · kick · leaves

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. tube — the underground
  3. net — for catching
  4. mark — a trace
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. net — after costs
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. mark — a grade
  14. net — in sport
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wound — an injury
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. kick — in football
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. tube — a container

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