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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. race — humankind
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. cue — a signal
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. cue — for pool
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. cue — a hint
  13. spring — the season
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. bark — to shout
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — to bend
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. lean — thin
  22. race — a contest
  23. spring — of water
  24. race — the arms race

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