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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. race — humankind
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. key — in music
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. race — the arms race
  11. net — for catching
  12. bear — the animal
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. key — the most important part
  15. net — in sport
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. race — a contest
  18. wax — to grow
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. key — for a lock
  21. bear — the animal
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. net — after costs
  24. arm — part of the body

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