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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. rash — hasty
  6. race — a contest
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — electric
  11. current — of water
  12. race — the arms race
  13. chip — for betting
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. race — humankind
  18. chip — to eat
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. rash — a series
  22. plane — a tool
  23. bark — to shout
  24. wake — a trail

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