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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: race · rest · ball · land · perch · bark · tube · safe

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. perch — the fish
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tube — a container
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bark — to shout
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. race — a contest
  11. rest — what's left
  12. land — a country
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. race — humankind
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. ball — a great time
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. rest — a break
  22. race — the arms race
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. land — ground

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