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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. race — humankind
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. can — to be able to
  7. race — a contest
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. ground — a position
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. row — to paddle
  13. can — a tin
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ground — the earth
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. wax — to grow
  18. row — a line
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. race — the arms race
  23. can — a tin
  24. ground — crushed

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