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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 120 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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. face — to point toward
  4. hand — help
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. tear — to rip
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. face — to confront
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. rush — hurry
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. clip — to cut
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. hand — in cards
  18. face — part of the head
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — to crush
  21. tear — from crying
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — for paper
  24. stand — to bear

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