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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: bore · deal · tube · bass · file · rash · squash · bark

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  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. squash — the sport
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bark — to shout
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. tube — the underground
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. squash — to crush
  9. tube — a container
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. file — a document
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bass — the fish
  17. file — a tool
  18. bore — to tire
  19. deal — to handle
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bass — low music
  22. rash — a series
  23. tube — in a tire
  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