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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: rush · face · mate · bear · jam · bark · kid · tube

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. face — to point toward
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. mate — to breed
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. kid — to tease
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to confront
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. mate — a partner
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. kid — child
  14. mate — a friend
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bark — to shout
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. tube — a container
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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