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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. bark — to shout
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. perch — the fish
  5. scale — size or range
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. capital — money
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. capital — a city
  11. race — the arms race
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. land — a country
  16. race — a contest
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. land — to come down
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. scale — in music
  23. land — ground
  24. perch — for a bird

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