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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: bear · land · tear · race · mouse · plane · bark · dip

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. race — a contest
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. land — ground
  7. race — humankind
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. plane — a tool
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. land — a country
  13. land — to come down
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bark — to shout
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. bear — the animal

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