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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: firm · net · tear · wind · toast · jam · bark · leaves

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bark — to shout
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. tear — to rip
  7. firm — a company
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. firm — decided
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. wind — moving air
  14. toast — bread
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. net — in sport
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. net — for catching
  20. wind — moving air
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. tear — from crying
  23. firm — steady
  24. tear — from crying

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