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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: saw · fork · bass · cap · game · bark · race · staff

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. cap — a lid
  5. bass — low music
  6. race — humankind
  7. staff — employees
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. fork — in a road
  11. staff — a stick
  12. race — a contest
  13. staff — employees
  14. game — a match
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. game — wild animals
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. bark — to shout
  21. race — the arms race
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bass — the instrument

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