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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. race — humankind
  3. race — the arms race
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. bore — to drill
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. shower — rain
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bore — to tire
  14. kid — to tease
  15. race — a contest
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — a division
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. shower — to wash
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. kid — child

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