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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. squash — to crush
  3. kid — child
  4. rash — a series
  5. race — the arms race
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. kid — to tease
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. race — a contest
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. race — humankind
  15. stem — to come from
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — to get on
  18. rash — hasty
  19. date — the fruit
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. squash — the sport
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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