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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: bark · straw · board · cell · stand · race

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. cell — in biology
  3. race — humankind
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. race — the arms race
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. board — a committee
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. stand — to bear
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — to shout
  17. race — a contest
  18. cell — a phone

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