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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: rash · plane · bat · bark · spring · leaves · firm · race

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. race — the arms race
  3. firm — steady
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. spring — of water
  8. rash — a series
  9. plane — a tool
  10. rash — hasty
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bark — to shout
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. race — a contest
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. race — humankind
  18. spring — the season
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. spring — a coil
  23. firm — a company
  24. leaves — lets stay

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