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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: tube · bark · pound · mate · dip · nail · object · coach

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — an aim
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — the underground
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. object — a thing
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — to sink
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. pound — a weight
  24. tube — in a tire

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