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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. race — humankind
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — for catching
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. stem — to come from
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. bound — tied together
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bark — to shout
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. race — a contest
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. race — the arms race
  18. net — in sport
  19. bound — certain
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. rush — hurry
  23. scale — in music
  24. bark — of a tree

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