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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. tear — from crying
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — of a river
  7. foot — a measure
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. bank — for money
  10. tear — to rip
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bark — to shout
  24. chair — a leader

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