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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. game — wild animals
  3. race — humankind
  4. firm — a company
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. firm — decided
  7. object — a thing
  8. game — a match
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. mine — for digging
  13. object — an aim
  14. tear — from crying
  15. firm — steady
  16. wax — to grow
  17. object — to protest
  18. tear — to rip
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. race — a contest
  21. bark — to shout
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. mine — belonging to me

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