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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: bore · suit · tube · bark · clip · wind · bear · lash

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. clip — a video
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. bear — the animal
  14. tube — a container
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bark — to shout
  18. suit — in cards
  19. tube — the underground
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bear — the animal
  23. suit — to fit
  24. bark — of a tree

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