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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. land — to come down
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. bark — to shout
  6. suit — in cards
  7. bat — the animal
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — a group
  10. plane — a tool
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. tear — to rip
  13. land — a country
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rash — hasty
  17. club — for golf
  18. suit — to fit
  19. tear — from crying
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. land — ground
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. suit — clothes

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