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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. hand — in cards
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. hand — help
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. race — a contest
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. race — humankind
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. root — of a plant
  14. cell — in biology
  15. mine — for digging
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. cell — a phone
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. root — the cause
  22. bark — to shout
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. root — of a word

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