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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bark — to shout
  7. tube — a container
  8. tear — from crying
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. root — the cause
  12. rest — what's left
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. rest — what's left
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. root — of a plant
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. root — of a word
  23. rest — a break
  24. pitch — completely

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