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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bark — to shout
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a lid
  5. kid — child
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. shower — rain
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. cap — a hat
  18. stock — shares
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. stock — goods
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bear — the animal
  23. shower — to wash
  24. pass — a permit

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