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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 116 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: can · bound · net · rock · tear · bark · bat · deal

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bound — certain
  3. tear — to rip
  4. can — a tin
  5. bound — obliged
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. net — for catching
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bound — tied together
  13. net — after costs
  14. deal — to handle
  15. bat — the animal
  16. tear — from crying
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. bark — to shout
  19. rock — a stone
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rock — music
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. net — in sport
  24. deal — an agreement

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