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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 · bark · leaves · kick · present · rock

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. tear — to rip
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. present — there
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — music
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bark — to shout
  16. present — a gift
  17. tear — from crying
  18. kick — in football

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