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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. season — in sport
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. cue — a signal
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cue — a hint
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. tear — from crying
  11. rash — a series
  12. drill — a practice
  13. branch — a division
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. cue — for pool
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. bark — to shout
  19. rash — hasty
  20. vault — a safe
  21. tear — to rip
  22. drill — army training
  23. season — of the year
  24. drill — 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