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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.

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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 · season · stick · tear · cabinet · bat · rock · club

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rock — a stone
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. club — a group
  9. season — in sport
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. rock — music
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bark — to shout
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. club — for dancing
  20. club — for golf
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. rock — to move gently

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