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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. rash — a series
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bound — obliged
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bound — certain
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. net — in sport
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bound — tied together
  13. rash — hasty
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bark — to shout
  18. net — after costs
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. net — for catching
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. pitcher — a jug

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