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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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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: tube · content · firm · suit · mate · bark · pitcher · row

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — to shout
  5. firm — decided
  6. suit — to fit
  7. suit — clothes
  8. suit — in cards
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. mate — to breed
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. content — happy
  14. firm — steady
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tube — a container
  17. firm — a company
  18. row — a line
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. mate — a partner
  21. tube — the underground
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. mate — a friend
  24. content — the amount

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