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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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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: bark · wave · staff · spell · cap · clip · race · rock

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. race — the arms race
  3. staff — employees
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. clip — to cut
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. rock — music
  9. spell — magic
  10. cap — a hat
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. clip — for paper
  13. cap — a lid
  14. spell — letters
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. bark — to shout
  17. cap — of ice
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — a stick
  20. race — a contest
  21. rock — a stone
  22. spell — a short time
  23. clip — a video
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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