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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.

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: rash · bore · bark · wave · clip · tube · wound · row

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bore — to drill
  5. row — to paddle
  6. rash — hasty
  7. row — a line
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bore — to tire
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rash — a series
  16. tube — a container
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. clip — a video
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. bark — to shout
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. clip — to cut
  24. wave — with your hand

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