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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. current — electric
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bat — the animal
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. board — a committee
  13. perch — the fish
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. current — happening now
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. current — of water
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. board — to get on
  24. tear — to rip

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