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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: bark · race · club · ruler · fan · bound · drill · snap

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bound — certain
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. race — humankind
  7. race — a contest
  8. drill — army training
  9. club — a group
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bound — tied together
  12. drill — a practice
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bound — obliged
  18. club — for golf
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. race — the arms race
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. club — for dancing

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