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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 124 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. fall — to drop
  4. drill — a practice
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bark — to shout
  10. present — the time now
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. fall — to drop
  13. drill — army training
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. tear — to rip
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — goods
  18. present — there
  19. drill — the tool
  20. present — a gift
  21. fall — the season
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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