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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: tube · pitcher · object · bark · game · file · present · press

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. game — a match
  5. present — the time now
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. present — a gift
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — to push
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. file — a tool
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. press — newspapers
  16. tube — the underground
  17. present — there
  18. object — an aim
  19. object — a thing
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a line of people
  24. object — to protest

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