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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rash — a series
  3. tear — to rip
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. date — the fruit
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bat — the animal
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. tear — from crying
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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