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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 120 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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. race — a contest
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. tear — from crying
  8. race — the arms race
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. lean — thin
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bark — to shout
  18. race — humankind
  19. chest — a box
  20. tear — from crying
  21. clip — to cut
  22. tear — to rip
  23. clip — a video
  24. lean — to bend

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