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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · kid · chair · rush · saw · fine · bulb · tear

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bulb — for light
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. fine — all right
  9. saw — the tool
  10. kid — to tease
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. tear — from crying
  13. saw — the tool
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. bulb — for light
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. tear — from crying
  19. kid — child
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bark — to shout
  22. tear — to rip
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fine — high quality

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