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

Word bank: race · rest · craft · wave · season · bark

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. rest — a break
  3. craft — a skill
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bark — to shout
  6. season — of the year
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. race — humankind
  10. season — in sport
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. race — the arms race
  15. rest — what's left
  16. race — a contest
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. craft — boats

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