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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. lie — to recline
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. ball — a dance
  8. stock — shares
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. hand — help
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. tear — from crying
  18. hand — in cards
  19. stock — goods
  20. ball — a great time
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. snap — to click

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