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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: object · rock · net · wake · bark · race · rush · ball

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. rock — a stone
  4. bark — to shout
  5. race — the arms race
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. net — for catching
  8. ball — a great time
  9. object — an aim
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. race — humankind
  12. rock — music
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. net — after costs
  16. object — to protest
  17. race — a contest
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. net — in sport
  20. rush — hurry
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. object — a thing
  24. wake — a trail

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