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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 124 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — electricity
  4. kick — in football
  5. roll — a list
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. tear — from crying
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bass — low music
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. charge — a price
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bear — the animal
  21. tear — from crying
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. kick — a thrill

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