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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.

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: race · bear · bark · lie · saw · spring · stand · march

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. spring — the season
  3. bark — to shout
  4. march — the month
  5. stand — to bear
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bear — the animal
  9. spring — a coil
  10. race — humankind
  11. bear — the animal
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. march — the month
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. race — a contest
  17. saw — the tool
  18. spring — of water
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. march — music
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bear — to put up with

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