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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. tube — the underground
  6. hand — help
  7. pop — soda
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. track — to keep track
  10. bark — to shout
  11. tear — from crying
  12. track — a song
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to drill
  15. pop — to visit
  16. tube — a container
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tear — to rip
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bore — to tire
  24. pop — music

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