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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · tube · scale · kid · bark · club · hide · mark

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — to shout
  3. tube — a container
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. kid — to tease
  7. scale — in music
  8. club — for dancing
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. tube — the underground
  11. spring — of water
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. mark — a trace
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. club — for golf
  21. mark — a grade
  22. club — a group
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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