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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. race — a contest
  3. wax — to grow
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. race — humankind
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. club — for dancing
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — completely
  15. race — the arms race
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. fall — the season
  18. bark — to shout
  19. fall — to drop
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. club — for golf
  22. club — a group
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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