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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a skill
  4. wind — moving air
  5. press — newspapers
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bark — to shout
  9. race — a contest
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. race — humankind
  12. chair — a leader
  13. press — to push
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bore — to tire
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bore — to drill
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. press — a publisher
  22. race — the arms race
  23. wind — moving air
  24. lie — an untruth

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