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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. swing — music
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. tear — from crying
  10. press — to push
  11. press — a publisher
  12. object — a thing
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. current — happening now
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. swing — in golf
  18. current — electric
  19. tear — to rip
  20. swing — to play on
  21. current — of water
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. object — to protest
  24. object — an aim

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