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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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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: stick · object · tube · swing · row · land · rest · bark

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. object — a thing
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — the underground
  5. rest — what's left
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. land — a country
  10. land — ground
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — to shout
  14. object — an aim
  15. row — a line
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. object — to protest
  18. swing — music
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. rest — a break
  22. swing — to play on
  23. land — to come down
  24. swing — in golf

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