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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. face — to point toward
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. chest — of your body
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bore — to drill
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bore — to tire
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — part of the head
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. wax — to grow
  19. hand — help
  20. tear — to rip
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. chest — a box
  24. tear — from crying

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