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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 116 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: tube · bark · kick · race · swing · fine · board · fan

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. swing — music
  3. board — a committee
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. race — humankind
  8. fine — all right
  9. race — the arms race
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — to shout
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. board — to get on
  14. race — a contest
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. swing — in golf
  17. fine — high quality
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. swing — to play on
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. kick — in football

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