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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 120 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. tear — to rip
  3. board — to get on
  4. board — a committee
  5. key — for a lock
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. key — the most important part
  9. mate — to breed
  10. tear — from crying
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. tear — from crying
  13. content — happy
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bark — to shout
  17. mate — a partner
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. content — the amount
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. dip — to sink
  22. key — in music
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. coach — a trainer

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