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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bark — to shout
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. field — farmland
  5. lie — to recline
  6. race — the arms race
  7. current — happening now
  8. field — a subject
  9. current — of water
  10. rash — hasty
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bass — low music
  16. race — a contest
  17. rash — a series
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. race — humankind
  20. bass — the fish
  21. current — electric
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. field — for sport
  24. calf — a young 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