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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bark — to shout
  3. wound — an injury
  4. face — to confront
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. wound — an injury
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bound — obliged
  10. capital — money
  11. bound — certain
  12. tear — from crying
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. capital — a city
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. face — part of the head
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — with an edge

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