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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. present — the time now
  4. tear — to rip
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. kick — in football
  10. present — there
  11. tear — from crying
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. rock — a stone
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. bark — to shout
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. tear — from crying
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. present — a gift

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