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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 · stand · swing · bark · sharp · bound · land · hide

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bark — to shout
  4. swing — music
  5. land — ground
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. land — a country
  8. bound — obliged
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. swing — to play on
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. stand — to bear
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — a contest
  18. sharp — clever
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. swing — in golf
  21. land — to come down
  22. bound — certain
  23. race — the arms race
  24. stand — for spectators

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