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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 116 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — to shout
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. field — for sport
  6. race — humankind
  7. race — the arms race
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pass — a permit
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. field — a subject
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. race — a contest
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bore — to tire
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bore — to drill
  22. field — farmland
  23. perch — the fish
  24. bore — gave birth

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