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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. land — ground
  3. rest — what's left
  4. tear — from crying
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. land — a country
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. land — to come down
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. pop — soda
  11. shower — rain
  12. snap — to click
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bark — to shout
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — to wash
  18. tear — to rip
  19. pop — music
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. pop — to visit
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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