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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.

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 · tear · wound · spell · face · board · scale · mate

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — to shout
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mate — to breed
  5. tear — from crying
  6. spell — letters
  7. face — to point toward
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. face — to confront
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. wound — an injury
  13. face — part of the head
  14. board — a committee
  15. scale — in music
  16. tear — to rip
  17. spell — magic
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mate — a friend
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mate — a partner
  23. board — to get on
  24. spell — a short time

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