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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · mug · hide · current · bark · firm · pound · tear

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. tear — to rip
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. land — ground
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. mug — to rob
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. firm — steady
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. current — of water
  15. mug — a cup
  16. land — a country
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bark — to shout
  20. current — electric
  21. land — to come down
  22. firm — decided
  23. firm — a company
  24. mug — a face

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