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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 120 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: tear · rush · bark · fork · stand · chip · pitcher · march

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. tear — to rip
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — to shout
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. tear — from crying
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. stand — to bear
  16. fork — in a road
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. chip — to eat
  19. march — the month
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. chip — for betting
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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