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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. branch — a division
  3. fine — all right
  4. wound — an injury
  5. tear — from crying
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bulb — for light
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. fine — high quality
  10. tear — from crying
  11. craft — boats
  12. tear — to rip
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bulb — for light
  15. ground — a position
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. wound — an injury
  18. craft — a skill
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — to shout
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. craft — a handicraft

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