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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · pit · craft · bark · cabinet · fine

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. 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. tear — from crying
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — a hole
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. fine — high quality
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. bark — to shout
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. pit — in a race
  16. craft — boats
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. 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