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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: tube · season · rush · club · mate · saw · bark · spring

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. spring — the season
  7. mate — to breed
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. club — a group
  10. bark — to shout
  11. season — in sport
  12. spring — of water
  13. season — of the year
  14. club — for dancing
  15. spring — a coil
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. mate — a friend
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. mate — a partner
  22. tube — a container
  23. club — for golf
  24. saw — the tool

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