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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.

Make a worksheet

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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. squash — to crush
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. tear — from crying
  7. kick — in football
  8. bass — low music
  9. tear — to rip
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bark — to shout
  14. squash — the sport
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. squash — the vegetable

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