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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: bark · squash · tear · firm · calf · wound · chest · pit

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  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. pit — a hole
  2. chest — of your body
  3. wound — an injury
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. tear — to rip
  7. bark — to shout
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. firm — decided
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. chest — a box
  15. firm — steady
  16. squash — to crush
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. chest — of your body
  20. firm — a company
  21. tear — from crying
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wound — an injury
  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