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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: deal · hide · bark · tube · hand · rest · club · fan

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rest — a break
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. club — for golf
  9. club — a group
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. deal — to handle
  14. tube — a container
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. club — for dancing
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. hand — help
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bark — to shout

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