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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. wake — a trail
  4. race — humankind
  5. last — finally
  6. field — a subject
  7. last — final
  8. field — farmland
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. race — the arms race
  14. field — for sport
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bank — for money
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. last — to go on
  21. race — a contest
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bank — of a river
  24. branch — a division

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