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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: bass · saw · suit · tube · race · bark · date · file

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. suit — in cards
  4. saw — the tool
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. suit — to fit
  7. bass — the fish
  8. race — a contest
  9. date — the fruit
  10. bark — to shout
  11. race — humankind
  12. suit — clothes
  13. file — a line of people
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. race — the arms race
  19. file — a document
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bass — low music
  22. tube — the underground
  23. file — a tool
  24. date — on the calendar

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