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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: court · race · bark · lean · club · ground · leaves · dip

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. club — for golf
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — for sport
  9. dip — to sink
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — a contest
  13. ground — the earth
  14. court — of law
  15. club — for dancing
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bark — to shout
  19. ground — a position
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — thin
  22. club — a group
  23. race — the arms race
  24. bark — of a tree

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