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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 116 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. deal — to handle
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. tear — to rip
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bark — to shout
  16. stem — to come from
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bass — low music
  19. squash — the sport
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. kid — child

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