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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. court — of a king
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — a gift
  5. tube — a container
  6. foot — a measure
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. present — there
  9. lean — to bend
  10. court — for sport
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. tube — the underground
  13. lean — thin
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bear — the animal
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bear — the animal
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bark — to shout
  23. court — of law
  24. bear — to put up with

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