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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: bark · fork · bulb · bat · bear · ground · straw · tube

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fork — in a road
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. tube — the underground
  7. bear — the animal
  8. ground — crushed
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. tube — a container
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bear — the animal
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bark — to shout
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — a position
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bear — to put up with

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