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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 120 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. tear — to rip
  5. court — of law
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bark — to shout
  8. spell — letters
  9. field — farmland
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. spell — a short time
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — a subject
  17. rock — music
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. court — of a king
  22. tear — from crying
  23. court — for sport
  24. mine — for digging

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