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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. row — to paddle
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. spell — magic
  6. bark — to shout
  7. press — newspapers
  8. spell — letters
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. spell — a short time
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. rash — a series
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. race — the arms race
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. rash — hasty
  20. press — a publisher
  21. race — a contest
  22. branch — a division
  23. press — to push
  24. row — a line

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