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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 116 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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bark — to shout
  3. object — an aim
  4. press — to push
  5. field — for sport
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. object — a thing
  8. press — a publisher
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. field — farmland
  11. race — the arms race
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. race — humankind
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. object — to protest
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. press — newspapers
  18. race — a contest

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