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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: bark · bear · pass · race · present · drill

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. pass — a permit
  3. race — a contest
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. present — a gift
  10. race — the arms race
  11. drill — army training
  12. race — humankind
  13. present — there
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. drill — a practice
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. present — the time now
  18. bear — the animal

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