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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. tear — from crying
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bank — for money
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. craft — boats
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bank — for money
  21. tear — to rip
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. bank — of a river

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