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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. present — the time now
  8. bark — to shout
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. present — there
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. tear — from crying
  15. game — a match
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a skill
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — a grade
  21. game — wild animals
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. tear — to rip

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