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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 116 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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — size or range
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. scale — in music
  6. stand — to bear
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. cap — a hat
  16. tear — to rip
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. squash — to crush
  19. cap — a lid
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bark — to shout
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. cap — of ice

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