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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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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: leaves · bark · race · tear · net · craft

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bark — to shout
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — for catching
  12. craft — boats
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. tear — from crying
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — a contest
  17. tear — from crying
  18. craft — a skill

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