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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. bark — to shout
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. mate — to breed
  6. hand — help
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. race — humankind
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. hand — in cards
  12. root — the cause
  13. mate — a partner
  14. race — the arms race
  15. stand — to bear
  16. race — a contest
  17. root — of a word
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. root — of a plant
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. mate — a friend
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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