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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 120 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: pitcher · tube · drill · bark · saw · coach · snap · file

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. snap — to click
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. tube — a container
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. file — a tool
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bark — to shout
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. drill — the tool
  13. tube — the underground
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. file — a document
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. drill — army training
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. tube — in a tire

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