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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: race · chest · leaves · present · fine · bark · fan · rock

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. chest — of your body
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. race — humankind
  7. rock — a stone
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. race — the arms race
  10. present — the time now
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. chest — of your body
  16. present — there
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. rock — music
  20. chest — a box
  21. fine — high quality
  22. bark — to shout
  23. race — a contest
  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