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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. chip — to eat
  3. bark — to shout
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. pop — to visit
  7. craft — boats
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pop — music
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fall — the season
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. chip — for betting
  14. craft — a skill
  15. fine — high quality
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. pop — soda
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. tear — to rip
  24. fine — all right

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