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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. ground — crushed
  3. tear — from crying
  4. perch — the fish
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pop — to visit
  8. ground — a position
  9. pop — soda
  10. tear — to rip
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bank — of a river
  15. pop — music
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bank — for money
  18. rule — government
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. bank — for money

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