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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. current — happening now
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. current — electric
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bound — tied together
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. net — for catching
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. net — in sport
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. current — of water
  17. bark — to shout
  18. can — a tin
  19. bound — certain
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bound — obliged
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. net — after costs

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