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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.

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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: hand · stand · tear · bark · fall · chest · fork · bulb

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bulb — for light
  4. tear — to rip
  5. chest — of your body
  6. stand — to bear
  7. bulb — for light
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. tear — from crying
  14. hand — in cards
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. tear — from crying
  23. hand — help
  24. fall — to drop

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