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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pop — soda
  3. tear — from crying
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. tear — to rip
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. club — for golf
  8. bark — to shout
  9. key — for a lock
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. key — the most important part
  12. file — a line of people
  13. club — for dancing
  14. key — in music
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pop — music
  17. club — a group
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. deal — to handle
  20. file — a document
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. file — a tool

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