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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. game — wild animals
  3. face — to confront
  4. game — a match
  5. hand — help
  6. face — part of the head
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. can — a tin
  9. race — a contest
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. branch — a division
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. race — the arms race
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. squash — the sport
  20. face — to point toward
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bark — to shout
  23. race — humankind
  24. squash — to crush

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