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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 116 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: drill · bark · can · tube · straw · land · wave · mug

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. can — a tin
  3. drill — the tool
  4. can — a tin
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. land — a country
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. mug — a face
  9. tube — a container
  10. land — ground
  11. land — to come down
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. mug — to rob
  14. drill — a practice
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. drill — army training
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. mug — a cup
  19. can — to be able to
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. tube — the underground
  23. bark — to shout
  24. wave — of the sea

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