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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bark — to shout
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. chip — to eat
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — to come from
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. rule — a law
  16. saw — the tool
  17. race — humankind
  18. race — the arms race
  19. chip — for betting
  20. perch — the fish
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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