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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 120 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: pop · tube · row · ruler · fork · bark · plane · dip

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. tube — a container
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. pop — music
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. row — a line
  14. dip — to sink
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — to shout
  18. pop — soda
  19. fork — in a road
  20. pop — to visit
  21. plane — a tool
  22. row — to paddle
  23. plane — in geometry
  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