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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. kick — in football
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — low music
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. tear — to rip
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. object — to protest
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. bass — the fish
  18. object — an aim
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. pitch — completely
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. bark — to shout
  23. object — a thing
  24. pitch — a sports field

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