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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 120 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: fan · bark · race · dip · temple · cue · squash · straw

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. cue — a hint
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. race — the arms race
  6. cue — for pool
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. dip — to sink
  9. squash — to crush
  10. race — a contest
  11. bark — to shout
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. cue — a signal
  24. squash — the sport

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