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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: ground · pit · bark · roll · bound · bay · tear · mate

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bound — obliged
  4. tear — from crying
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — the earth
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bound — tied together
  16. pit — in a race
  17. roll — a cake
  18. bound — certain
  19. ground — a position
  20. roll — a list
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — a hole

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