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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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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: bark · pit · tear · lean · cue · present

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. lean — to bend
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. bark — to shout
  6. tear — from crying
  7. cue — a hint
  8. tear — from crying
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. pit — in a race
  11. present — the time now
  12. tear — to rip
  13. present — a gift
  14. lean — thin
  15. cue — for pool
  16. present — there
  17. pit — a hole
  18. bark — a dog's sound

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