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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. rest — a break
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. tear — to rip
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. tear — from crying
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. content — happy
  13. rock — music
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. content — the amount
  16. rock — a stone
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rash — a series
  21. pound — a weight
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bark — to shout
  24. content — videos and posts

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