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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: rush · mark · pitcher · roll · squash · tear · bark · mate

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mark — a trace
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. roll — a list
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mate — a friend
  11. roll — a cake
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. bark — to shout
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. tear — to rip
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. squash — the sport
  22. rush — hurry
  23. squash — to crush
  24. tear — from crying

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