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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. race — the arms race
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. foot — a measure
  8. race — humankind
  9. wake — a trail
  10. clip — to cut
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bark — to shout
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. race — a contest
  21. clip — a video
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. clip — for paper
  24. wound — an injury

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