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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 · stand · bear · foot · pitcher · bark · cap · bulb

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. bear — the animal
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. foot — a measure
  10. tear — from crying
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. bark — to shout
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. cap — of ice
  15. bear — the animal
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. stand — to bear
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bulb — for light
  23. tear — from crying
  24. cap — a lid

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