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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. perch — the fish
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. race — a contest
  5. branch — a division
  6. season — of the year
  7. pop — soda
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. content — the amount
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. content — happy
  13. race — the arms race
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pop — music
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. season — in sport
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. rock — a stone
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pop — to visit
  22. rock — music
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. perch — for a bird

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