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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. spell — a short time
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bark — to shout
  5. cue — a hint
  6. tube — the underground
  7. last — to go on
  8. tube — a container
  9. last — finally
  10. date — the fruit
  11. spell — magic
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — for pool
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. spell — letters
  18. staff — a stick
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. last — final
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tube — in a tire

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