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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: toast · race · bark · object · spring · squash · track · nail

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. object — to protest
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. spring — a coil
  7. toast — bread
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. race — the arms race
  10. track — a song
  11. race — a contest
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. spring — the season
  16. object — an aim
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. track — to keep track
  22. object — a thing
  23. spring — of water
  24. track — a path

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