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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: bark · press · clip · scale · firm · rash · race · foot

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. scale — size or range
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. bark — to shout
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. firm — steady
  9. clip — to cut
  10. race — the arms race
  11. rash — hasty
  12. clip — for paper
  13. race — a contest
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — to push
  16. race — humankind
  17. foot — a measure
  18. firm — decided
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. scale — in music
  21. clip — a video
  22. press — a publisher
  23. firm — a company
  24. scale — for weighing

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