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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. mate — a friend
  3. chip — to eat
  4. mate — a partner
  5. lean — thin
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. rule — government
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bark — to shout
  11. race — the arms race
  12. ground — a position
  13. lean — to bend
  14. rule — a law
  15. ground — the earth
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. ground — crushed
  19. mate — to breed
  20. chip — for betting
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — a contest

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