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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · lean · clip · squash · race · toast · last · fan

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — to crush
  4. lean — to bend
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. lean — thin
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. last — to go on
  9. bark — to shout
  10. last — finally
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. last — final
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — for paper
  16. squash — the sport
  17. clip — a video
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. toast — bread
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — the arms race

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