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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: lean · firm · tube · mark · bark · march · rush · clip

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. march — the month
  4. firm — decided
  5. clip — to cut
  6. lean — thin
  7. clip — for paper
  8. rush — hurry
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. firm — a company
  14. bark — to shout
  15. march — the month
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — a grade
  18. tube — a container
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. clip — a video
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. march — music
  23. tube — the underground
  24. rush — to hurry

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