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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: pop · chair · bark · tear · object · nail · dip · mate

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — an aim
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. tear — to rip
  9. chair — a leader
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — to breed
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — to visit
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. object — a thing
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. dip — to sink
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mate — a partner
  23. pop — soda
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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