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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bass — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. stand — to bear
  9. current — electric
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. bark — to shout
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. race — a contest
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. rush — hurry
  16. current — happening now
  17. lean — thin
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. race — humankind
  22. bass — low music
  23. race — the arms race
  24. current — of water

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