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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: last · cold · bark · ruler · foot · bore · craft · race

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. foot — a measure
  3. bore — to tire
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. craft — a skill
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. last — to go on
  11. race — the arms race
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. last — finally
  15. craft — boats
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. last — final
  18. cold — an illness
  19. race — humankind
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bore — to drill
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. cold — not warm

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