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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — humankind
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bound — tied together
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bound — certain
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bound — obliged
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. race — a contest
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. file — a document
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. chest — a box
  20. file — a tool
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bark — to shout

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