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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. can — a tin
  3. bark — to shout
  4. lie — to recline
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. current — of water
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. tear — from crying
  9. current — electric
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. tear — to rip
  13. can — a tin
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. current — happening now
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. prune — to trim
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. lie — an untruth

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