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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: tear · hand · bark · pop · ground · coach · bulb · rush

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. tear — from crying
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. rush — hurry
  8. hand — help
  9. tear — from crying
  10. ground — a position
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — for light
  14. ground — crushed
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — soda
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. pop — music
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. tear — to rip
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bark — to shout
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — to hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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