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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. race — the arms race
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bear — the animal
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bark — to shout
  11. spring — a coil
  12. mine — for digging
  13. spring — the season
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. spring — of water
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — humankind
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. mark — a grade
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. mark — a trace

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