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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. date — the fruit
  7. tear — from crying
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. cap — a lid
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — of ice
  13. spell — magic
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. spell — letters
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bark — to shout
  18. tear — to rip
  19. spell — a short time
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. rush — hurry
  24. date — on the calendar

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