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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: bark · key · lean · net · lie · wound · drill · tube

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. key — the most important part
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. lean — thin
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. net — after costs
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. drill — a practice
  12. key — for a lock
  13. wound — an injury
  14. drill — army training
  15. net — in sport
  16. drill — the tool
  17. tube — a container
  18. wound — an injury
  19. tube — the underground
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. lie — to recline
  22. key — in music
  23. lean — to bend
  24. net — for catching

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