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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. mine — for digging
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — a country
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bulb — for light
  9. tear — from crying
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bulb — for light
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. land — ground
  17. bear — the animal
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. branch — a division
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bark — to shout

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