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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wave · bark · row · stick · fall · race

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. race — a contest
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. fall — the season
  9. row — to paddle
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. race — the arms race
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — a line
  16. race — humankind
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. stick — a piece of wood

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