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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. present — a gift
  3. present — the time now
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. chip — to eat
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. tear — from crying
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. chip — for betting
  11. present — there
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bound — certain
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bound — tied together
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bound — obliged
  18. tear — from crying
  19. wake — a trail
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. rest — a break
  24. rest — what's left

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