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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.

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: fan · tube · race · bark · mark · file · roll · hide

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. race — a contest
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. file — a line of people
  11. roll — a cake
  12. roll — a list
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — humankind
  16. tube — a container
  17. file — a tool
  18. mark — a trace
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. file — a document
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mark — a grade

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