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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pit — in a race
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. spring — the season
  6. capital — a city
  7. spring — of water
  8. pit — a hole
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bark — to shout
  13. tear — to rip
  14. suit — in cards
  15. suit — to fit
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. spring — a coil
  19. capital — money
  20. suit — clothes
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. wind — moving air
  24. nail — on a finger

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