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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 116 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bark — to shout
  6. pop — soda
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pop — music
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. pop — to visit
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — money
  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