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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. spring — a coil
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. spring — the season
  5. tear — to rip
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bear — the animal
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — to shout
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bear — the animal
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — the season
  19. spring — of water
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. fork — in a road
  24. tear — from crying

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