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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: rash · club · bay · straw · tube · kid · bulb · bark

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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. bay — to keep at bay
  3. tube — a container
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — hasty
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rash — a series
  10. club — for golf
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. club — for dancing
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. club — a group
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. bulb — for light
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — to tease
  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