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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 116 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: bank · pass · bark · land · race · cold · firm · spring

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bank — of a river
  3. pass — a permit
  4. bank — for money
  5. firm — a company
  6. spring — of water
  7. cold — not warm
  8. land — ground
  9. firm — decided
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. spring — the season
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. spring — a coil
  14. land — to come down
  15. firm — steady
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bank — for money
  19. land — a country
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — humankind
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. cold — an illness
  24. pass — to succeed

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