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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. wake — a trail
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. tear — to rip
  12. bark — to shout
  13. suit — to fit
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. fork — in a road
  16. suit — in cards
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. suit — clothes
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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