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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. spell — a short time
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. march — the month
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. spell — magic
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. spell — letters
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bark — to shout
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. vault — a safe

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