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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. race — a contest
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. race — humankind
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — hurry
  12. race — the arms race
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — after costs
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. net — in sport
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. bark — to shout
  21. deal — to handle
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — to crush

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