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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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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: bear · stick · deal · tear · perch · bark · ground · drill

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. drill — army training
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. ground — crushed
  9. tear — to rip
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bear — the animal
  12. drill — the tool
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. ground — the earth
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. bark — to shout
  17. tear — from crying
  18. perch — the fish
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. tear — from crying
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bear — the animal
  23. drill — a practice
  24. ground — a position

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