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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. tear — from crying
  9. firm — decided
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. drill — a practice
  13. land — a country
  14. firm — steady
  15. wound — an injury
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. drill — the tool
  18. land — to come down
  19. bark — to shout
  20. land — ground
  21. saw — the tool
  22. drill — army training
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. saw — the tool

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