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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. swing — to play on
  6. sharp — clever
  7. fine — all right
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bore — to drill
  10. swing — in golf
  11. bore — to tire
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bark — to shout
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. swing — music
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. pass — a permit
  23. lean — thin
  24. fine — high quality

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