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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  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. tear — from crying
  2. bark — to shout
  3. chest — of your body
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. pop — music
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bank — for money
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bank — for money
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bank — of a river
  13. mark — a grade
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. tear — to rip
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — a division
  19. chest — of your body
  20. pop — soda
  21. pop — to visit
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. chest — a box
  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