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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: saw · bark · tube · calf · spell · bear · mine · wound

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. mine — for digging
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bear — the animal
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. saw — the tool
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bear — the animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. tube — the underground
  16. spell — magic
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bark — to shout
  24. spell — letters

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