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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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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: saw · bay · bound · tear · wind · bat · bark · stem

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. wind — moving air
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wind — moving air
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. tear — from crying
  16. stem — to come from
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bat — the animal
  24. tear — to rip

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