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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. race — humankind
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. race — a contest
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. race — the arms race
  12. drill — a practice
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bulb — for light
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — army training
  22. season — of the year
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. season — in sport

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