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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: race · bark · suit · pitcher · bound · fan · land · perch

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. suit — in cards
  3. race — humankind
  4. perch — the fish
  5. bound — tied together
  6. suit — to fit
  7. land — ground
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. land — a country
  11. land — to come down
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. race — a contest
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bound — obliged
  20. suit — clothes
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bound — certain

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