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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: tear · last · net · date · bark · chair · suit · spell

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. spell — a short time
  5. tear — from crying
  6. net — in sport
  7. suit — clothes
  8. last — final
  9. net — for catching
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. spell — magic
  12. last — finally
  13. net — after costs
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. last — to go on
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. chair — a leader
  20. suit — to fit
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. suit — in cards
  23. spell — letters
  24. date — the fruit

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