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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 120 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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. row — to paddle
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bark — to shout
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. stem — to come from
  11. content — the amount
  12. mark — a grade
  13. squash — the sport
  14. wound — an injury
  15. race — a contest
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. mark — a trace
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. row — a line
  22. race — humankind
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. content — happy

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