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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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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: cap · race · spring · pound · bark · staff · ruler · bat

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bat — the animal
  3. cap — a hat
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. spring — the season
  6. race — a contest
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. cap — of ice
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. staff — employees
  17. pound — a weight
  18. staff — a stick
  19. race — humankind
  20. spring — a coil
  21. race — the arms race
  22. bark — to shout
  23. staff — employees
  24. bat — for baseball

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