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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. tear — to rip
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. stock — shares
  5. tear — from crying
  6. dip — to sink
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. rush — hurry
  9. tear — from crying
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. capital — money
  14. bark — to shout
  15. chip — to eat
  16. ground — the earth
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. stock — goods
  19. chip — for betting
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. capital — a city
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — crushed

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