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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bound — obliged
  4. race — the arms race
  5. bass — the fish
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — to shout
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. race — humankind
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. race — a contest
  16. bound — certain
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. branch — a division
  24. straw — a straw man

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