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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. tear — to rip
  3. spell — a short time
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. race — humankind
  6. row — a line
  7. spell — letters
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. court — of a king
  10. bark — to shout
  11. race — a contest
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. court — of law
  15. court — for sport
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. race — the arms race
  18. spell — magic
  19. branch — a division
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. safe — out of danger

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