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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: can · race · march · straw · object · dip · bark · season

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. object — an aim
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bark — to shout
  9. season — in sport
  10. can — a tin
  11. march — the month
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. race — a contest
  14. march — music
  15. can — a tin
  16. season — of the year
  17. race — humankind
  18. dip — to sink
  19. march — the month
  20. object — to protest
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. object — a thing

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