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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.

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: lean · mate · date · pitcher · bark · mark · nail · tear

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. tear — from crying
  5. date — the fruit
  6. lean — to bend
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bark — to shout
  12. mate — to breed
  13. tear — to rip
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. mate — a partner
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. lean — thin
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mate — a friend

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