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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. lean — to bend
  5. can — a tin
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. present — the time now
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bark — to shout
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. rash — a series
  13. wound — an injury
  14. branch — a division
  15. can — to be able to
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. present — there
  18. can — a tin
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. rash — hasty
  22. tear — from crying
  23. lean — thin
  24. present — a gift

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