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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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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 · bark · rest · drill · present · tube · mine · spring

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rest — what's left
  4. drill — a practice
  5. rest — what's left
  6. tube — the underground
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. rash — a series
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bark — to shout
  11. rash — hasty
  12. present — there
  13. present — the time now
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. spring — of water
  16. rest — a break
  17. tube — a container
  18. drill — army training
  19. present — a gift
  20. drill — the tool
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. spring — the season
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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