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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bound — tied together
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. spring — the season
  5. charge — electricity
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. spring — of water
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bound — certain
  14. deal — to handle
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. spring — a coil
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. charge — in control
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bark — to shout
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. charge — a price
  24. tear — to rip

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