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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. fall — to drop
  3. present — there
  4. board — a committee
  5. race — a contest
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. band — a music group
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. board — to get on
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. rush — hurry
  12. tube — the underground
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. band — a ring
  15. fall — the season
  16. race — the arms race
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. present — a gift
  20. tube — a container
  21. race — humankind
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bark — to shout

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