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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: dip · bark · prune · press · mine · pitcher · tube · kid

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. kid — child
  3. tube — the underground
  4. press — to push
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. press — a publisher
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bark — to shout
  11. dip — to sink
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. press — newspapers
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. kid — to tease
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. mine — for digging
  24. tube — a container

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