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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: bark · toast · tear · stick · bowl · date

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bark — to shout
  5. tear — to rip
  6. date — the fruit
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. toast — bread
  15. tear — from crying
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bowl — to roll

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