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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. lean — thin
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. field — a subject
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. object — an aim
  9. race — humankind
  10. last — finally
  11. race — a contest
  12. lean — to bend
  13. last — final
  14. last — to go on
  15. bear — the animal
  16. object — to protest
  17. field — for sport
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bear — the animal
  21. field — farmland
  22. bark — to shout
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. racket — a loud noise

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