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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.

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: bark · tube · straw · dip · coach · snap · band · leaves

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. band — a ring
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. dip — to sink
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bark — to shout
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. band — a music group
  22. snap — to click
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. tube — a container

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