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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. suit — in cards
  4. shower — to wash
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. field — a subject
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. suit — clothes
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. shower — rain
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — for sport

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