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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. bark — to shout
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. stand — to bear
  6. prune — to trim
  7. hand — help
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. race — humankind
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — the arms race
  18. racket — for tennis

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