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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. ground — the earth
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. ground — a position
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bark — to shout
  13. rash — a series
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bound — tied together
  16. tear — from crying
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bulb — for light
  19. ground — crushed
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — obliged

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