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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. roll — a list
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. roll — a cake
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. fine — high quality
  14. bark — to shout
  15. fine — all right
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. wake — a trail
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bore — to tire
  21. race — the arms race
  22. bore — to drill
  23. race — humankind
  24. bore — gave birth

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