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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. ground — the earth
  3. march — the month
  4. tear — from crying
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — final
  10. ground — a position
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. perch — the fish
  13. last — finally
  14. tear — from crying
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. march — the month
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bark — to shout
  21. ground — crushed
  22. march — music
  23. bear — the animal
  24. kick — in football

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