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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 116 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — the earth
  3. race — humankind
  4. spring — a coil
  5. rush — hurry
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. plane — a tool
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. spring — the season
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mug — a face
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. race — a contest
  16. spring — of water
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. race — the arms race
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. ground — a position
  21. bark — to shout
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mug — to rob
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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