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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 116 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: tube · club · key · chair · rash · fork · tear · bark

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  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. rash — a series
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — a group
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. key — for a lock
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. fork — in a road
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. key — the most important part
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. club — for dancing
  18. key — in music
  19. chair — a leader
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bark — to shout
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  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