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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — a series
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. tear — from crying
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. firm — decided
  10. tear — from crying
  11. prune — to trim
  12. firm — steady
  13. hand — in cards
  14. tear — to rip
  15. firm — a company
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. wake — a trail
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. court — of law
  21. hand — help
  22. court — for sport
  23. bark — to shout
  24. wake — before a funeral

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