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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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. tear — from crying
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. pass — a permit
  6. lean — to bend
  7. current — happening now
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. lean — thin
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. current — electric
  13. kick — in football
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. tear — to rip
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. tear — from crying
  22. current — of water
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. bark — to shout

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