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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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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: pitcher · present · bark · key · current · lie · tube · hand

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. tube — the underground
  5. lie — to recline
  6. hand — help
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. current — electric
  9. present — the time now
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. current — of water
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. current — happening now
  14. tube — a container
  15. present — there
  16. hand — in cards
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. key — the most important part
  19. present — a gift
  20. key — for a lock
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — to shout
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. lie — an untruth

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