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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. game — wild animals
  3. object — to protest
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. march — the month
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. object — an aim
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. march — the month
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. march — music
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. race — the arms race
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. game — a match
  19. bark — to shout
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. race — a contest
  22. object — a thing
  23. race — humankind
  24. stand — to bear

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