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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. spell — magic
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. rash — a series
  7. kick — in football
  8. tear — from crying
  9. spell — letters
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. tear — to rip
  12. roll — a list
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. spell — a short time
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bark — to shout
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. roll — a cake
  24. mouse — the animal

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