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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: racket · rash · object · race · mate · arm · leaves · bark

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. race — a contest
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bark — to shout
  6. race — the arms race
  7. mate — to breed
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. object — an aim
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. object — a thing
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. rash — a series
  16. object — to protest
  17. race — humankind
  18. rash — hasty
  19. mate — a friend
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. leaves — to go away

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