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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. net — for catching
  5. race — humankind
  6. net — in sport
  7. mark — a trace
  8. net — after costs
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. race — the arms race
  14. bark — to shout
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stem — to come from
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. cue — a signal
  19. race — a contest
  20. spring — of water
  21. cue — for pool
  22. spring — the season
  23. mark — a grade
  24. stem — of a plant

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