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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: row · bear · bark · kid · tear · bass · object · stick

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. object — to protest
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bark — to shout
  8. kid — child
  9. bass — the fish
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — low music
  13. bear — the animal
  14. row — a line
  15. object — an aim
  16. bear — the animal
  17. row — to paddle
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. object — a thing
  24. row — a quarrel

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