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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. race — humankind
  3. rash — a series
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rash — hasty
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. row — a line
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. race — the arms race
  10. row — to paddle
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. spring — of water
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. race — a contest
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. can — a tin
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. can — to be able to
  23. spring — a coil
  24. can — a tin

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