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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — a permit
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fine — high quality
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. cap — a hat
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. cap — a lid
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bore — to tire
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bark — to shout
  17. fine — all right
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. bore — to drill
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. cap — of ice

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