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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: can · bay · tear · lie · swing · cue · spell · bark

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. spell — letters
  3. tear — from crying
  4. swing — to play on
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cue — a hint
  7. swing — music
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — to shout
  10. cue — for pool
  11. swing — in golf
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. cue — a signal
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. lie — to recline
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — a short time

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