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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bear — the animal
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. chest — a box
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. mug — to rob
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bear — the animal
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. chest — of your body
  12. prune — to trim
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bark — to shout
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — a cup
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. mate — to breed
  21. prune — to trim
  22. tear — from crying
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mate — a partner

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