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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. tear — from crying
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. bat — the animal
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. drill — army training
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bark — to shout
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. prune — to trim

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