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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mate — to breed
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bark — to shout
  7. vault — a safe
  8. mate — a friend
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. staff — a stick
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — in cards
  18. row — a line
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. staff — employees
  21. hand — help
  22. tear — to rip
  23. staff — employees
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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