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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. race — humankind
  3. bark — to shout
  4. field — for sport
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. field — a subject
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. squash — to crush
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — after costs
  13. race — the arms race
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to click
  18. net — in sport
  19. race — a contest
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — the sport
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. field — farmland
  24. nail — for a hammer

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