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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. net — in sport
  5. row — to paddle
  6. tear — to rip
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. present — a gift
  11. fork — in a road
  12. net — after costs
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. present — the time now
  15. bark — to shout
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. net — for catching
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. row — a line
  23. present — there
  24. wind — to turn a key

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