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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: last · deal · mate · tear · bark · bear

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. mate — to breed
  3. tear — from crying
  4. last — finally
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bear — the animal
  9. last — final
  10. mate — a partner
  11. last — to go on
  12. bear — the animal
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. mate — a friend

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