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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bark — to shout
  4. land — a country
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. lean — thin
  8. land — to come down
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. fall — to drop
  12. tear — to rip
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. tear — from crying
  18. ball — a great time
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. lean — to bend
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. land — ground
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. lean — to rest against

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