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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. tear — from crying
  3. present — a gift
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. tear — to rip
  7. field — a subject
  8. pop — to visit
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — a series
  11. pop — music
  12. present — the time now
  13. field — for sport
  14. pop — soda
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. tear — from crying
  17. can — to be able to
  18. present — there
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. field — farmland
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bark — to shout
  24. arm — part of the body

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