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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 · dip · tear · march · mouse · present

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. march — music
  6. tear — from crying
  7. present — a gift
  8. dip — to sink
  9. march — the month
  10. present — the time now
  11. bark — to shout
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. tear — to rip
  15. march — the month
  16. present — there
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to dunk

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