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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. bark — to shout
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mug — a face
  10. mug — a cup
  11. dip — to sink
  12. track — a path
  13. chair — a leader
  14. cap — a hat
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. track — a song
  18. cap — a lid
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. tear — from crying
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. cap — of ice
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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