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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. squash — to crush
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wound — an injury
  8. squash — the sport
  9. mug — a face
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bark — to shout
  12. tear — to rip
  13. cell — a phone
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mug — to rob
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pitch — completely
  22. cell — in biology
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. mug — a cup

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