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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: spell · bark · fan · dip · tube · foot · trunk · fine

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. foot — a measure
  4. fine — high quality
  5. bark — to shout
  6. fine — all right
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. spell — letters
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — the underground
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. dip — to sink
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — magic

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