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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. race — a contest
  3. wake — a trail
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. game — wild animals
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bank — for money
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bark — to shout
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. race — humankind
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. game — a match
  22. bank — for money
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in biology

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