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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — a thing
  4. tear — from crying
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. cap — a hat
  7. file — a line of people
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. cap — a lid
  10. drill — army training
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. file — a document
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. foot — a measure
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. drill — the tool
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. cap — of ice
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. file — a tool
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. object — to protest
  24. drill — a practice

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