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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bark — to shout
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. tear — to rip
  10. chest — a box
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. tear — from crying
  14. chest — of your body
  15. content — happy
  16. pit — in a race
  17. chest — of your body
  18. spring — the season
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. spring — of water
  21. pit — a hole
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bark — of a tree

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