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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. mark — a grade
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. mark — a trace
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. tear — to rip
  16. clip — for paper
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. vault — a safe
  19. clip — a video
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. pass — a permit
  22. bark — to shout
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pass — to spend time

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