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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: lean · sharp · toast · bark · net · saw · shower · tear

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. shower — rain
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. saw — the tool
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. net — after costs
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. tear — from crying
  11. lean — thin
  12. net — in sport
  13. bark — to shout
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. lean — to bend
  16. tear — from crying
  17. saw — the tool
  18. shower — to wash
  19. tear — to rip
  20. toast — bread
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

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