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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 116 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. tear — from crying
  3. file — a tool
  4. ground — a position
  5. season — of the year
  6. bark — to shout
  7. rush — hurry
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. tear — from crying
  14. file — a document
  15. season — in sport
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. file — a line of people
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. ground — crushed

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