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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 116 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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. race — humankind
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — low music
  9. race — the arms race
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — in football
  13. bound — certain
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. net — for catching
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — in sport
  19. bound — tied together
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. race — a contest

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