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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. land — to come down
  3. tear — from crying
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. scale — in music
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. land — ground
  11. scale — size or range
  12. key — for a lock
  13. tear — from crying
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bark — to shout
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — goods
  18. key — in music
  19. key — the most important part
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. saw — the tool
  22. tear — to rip
  23. saw — the tool
  24. land — a country

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