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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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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — to shout
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bound — obliged
  9. land — a country
  10. rush — hurry
  11. tear — from crying
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — tied together
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. land — to come down
  21. chair — a leader
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. lie — an untruth

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