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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. race — a contest
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. race — humankind
  5. pound — a weight
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bark — to shout
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. tear — to rip
  12. land — to come down
  13. bore — to tire
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bound — certain
  16. land — a country
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. race — the arms race
  20. capital — a city
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bound — obliged
  23. land — ground
  24. bore — to drill

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