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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rash — a series
  4. lean — thin
  5. race — humankind
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bark — to shout
  9. lean — to bend
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. race — a contest
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. race — the arms race
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. stand — on your feet

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