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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. key — in music
  8. capital — money
  9. stock — goods
  10. key — the most important part
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. capital — a city
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bark — to shout
  19. stock — shares
  20. bear — the animal
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bear — the animal
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. race — humankind

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