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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — happy
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. current — happening now
  7. content — the amount
  8. deal — to handle
  9. suit — in cards
  10. current — electric
  11. tear — to rip
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. suit — clothes
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. suit — to fit
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. current — of water
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bark — to shout
  23. mine — for digging
  24. tear — from crying

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