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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: bark · file · toast · tube · bay · shower · temple · wound

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. toast — bread
  4. file — a tool
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. file — a line of people
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. shower — to wash
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. tube — a container
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. file — a document
  19. shower — rain
  20. bark — to shout
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. wound — an injury
  24. tube — the underground

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