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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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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: content · bark · rock · toast · tube · press · tear · kid

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. press — to push
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. kid — to tease
  6. press — newspapers
  7. tube — the underground
  8. content — the amount
  9. tear — from crying
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tear — to rip
  15. kid — child
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bark — to shout
  18. toast — bread
  19. rock — a stone
  20. content — happy
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. rock — music
  23. tube — a container
  24. rock — to move gently

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