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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: hand · fine · stick · mate · lean · bear · tear · bark

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. fine — all right
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. mate — to breed
  8. lean — thin
  9. mate — a partner
  10. tear — to rip
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. tear — from crying
  14. hand — in cards
  15. mate — a friend
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. lean — to bend
  19. fine — high quality
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. fine — a penalty

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