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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. chip — to eat
  4. race — humankind
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. staff — a stick
  7. race — the arms race
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. land — a country
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bark — to shout
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. chip — for betting
  16. staff — employees
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. land — ground
  22. race — a contest
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. staff — employees

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