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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. bark — to shout
  5. capital — money
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. prune — to trim
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rush — hurry
  17. capital — a city
  18. tear — from crying
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. prune — the fruit

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