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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: bark · wake · tube · season · trunk · nail · bay · rush

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. tube — the underground
  4. bark — to shout
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. season — of the year
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. wake — a trail
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — a container
  20. season — in sport
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bay — a horse colour

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