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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. wax — to grow
  5. lie — to recline
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. track — to keep track
  9. race — the arms race
  10. face — to confront
  11. ground — a position
  12. track — a path
  13. ground — the earth
  14. track — a song
  15. race — a contest
  16. face — part of the head
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. face — to point toward
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bark — to shout
  24. ground — crushed

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