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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. club — a group
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wake — a trail
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. tear — to rip
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. tear — from crying
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. club — for golf
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bulb — for light
  18. tear — from crying
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. club — for dancing
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. hide — animal skin

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