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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: ground · bark · tube · dip · pitcher · drill · firm · season

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. season — of the year
  3. firm — steady
  4. ground — crushed
  5. season — in sport
  6. ground — a position
  7. dip — to sink
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. tube — a container
  15. bark — to shout
  16. drill — army training
  17. ground — the earth
  18. drill — the tool
  19. firm — decided
  20. firm — a company
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. tube — the underground
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. drill — a practice

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