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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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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: rock · calf · bat · stand · bark · tear · press · craft

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bark — to shout
  4. rock — a stone
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. craft — a skill
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rock — music
  14. press — a publisher
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. press — to push
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. tear — to rip
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. craft — boats
  23. stand — to bear
  24. press — newspapers

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