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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 116 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 · tear · plane · cabinet · game · racket · bark · current

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. tear — from crying
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. race — humankind
  5. tear — from crying
  6. plane — a tool
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. race — the arms race
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. game — wild animals
  13. tear — to rip
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bark — to shout
  16. current — of water
  17. current — electric
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. current — happening now
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. game — a match
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. race — a contest

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