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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bear — the animal
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. bark — to shout
  6. foot — a measure
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. tear — from crying
  9. object — an aim
  10. ground — a position
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. snap — to click
  13. object — a thing
  14. ground — the earth
  15. current — electric
  16. tear — to rip
  17. object — to protest
  18. current — of water
  19. bear — the animal
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. tear — from crying
  24. current — happening now

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