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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 · perch · chest · lash · bear · race · game · rock

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bear — the animal
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. chest — a box
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. race — a contest
  8. bear — the animal
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. rock — a stone
  11. chest — of your body
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rock — music
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. game — a match
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. race — humankind
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. game — wild animals
  20. race — the arms race
  21. perch — the fish
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. rock — to move gently

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