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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 116 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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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: tear · pit · mark · wave · stand · craft · cue · bark

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. craft — boats
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. pit — in a race
  5. bark — to shout
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. stand — to bear
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. cue — a hint
  13. craft — a skill
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. mark — a trace
  17. cue — for pool
  18. pit — a hole
  19. cue — a signal
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. mark — a grade
  24. tear — to rip

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