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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mug — to rob
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — a position
  8. tear — to rip
  9. kick — in football
  10. ground — the earth
  11. tear — from crying
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. bark — to shout
  14. mug — a face
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. stem — to come from
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. stem — of a plant

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