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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.

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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: bark · race · tear · chip · suit · nail · wake · sharp

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. sharp — clever
  5. suit — to fit
  6. chip — to eat
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. bark — to shout
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. chip — for betting
  13. suit — in cards
  14. wake — a trail
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. race — humankind
  18. suit — clothes
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. race — the arms race

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