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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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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: bear · kid · race · staff · bark · lash · cold · charge

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. staff — a stick
  3. cold — an illness
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — humankind
  6. kid — to tease
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. bear — the animal
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. charge — a price
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bear — the animal
  15. charge — in control
  16. cold — not warm
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. charge — electricity
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. kid — child
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. race — the arms race

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