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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 120 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. can — to be able to
  3. tear — from crying
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. can — a tin
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. press — newspapers
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. race — humankind
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. press — to push
  14. chair — a leader
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bark — to shout
  17. can — a tin
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — the arms race
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. press — a publisher

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