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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 120 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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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: land · bark · rest · calf · charge · race · wind · wound

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — humankind
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. land — ground
  6. rest — what's left
  7. charge — a price
  8. rest — a break
  9. land — a country
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — to shout
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. race — a contest
  14. charge — electricity
  15. wind — moving air
  16. charge — in control
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. wound — an injury
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rest — what's left
  22. land — to come down
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bark — of a tree

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