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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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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. race — a contest
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bound — certain
  5. key — in music
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. ground — a position
  8. mate — a partner
  9. face — to confront
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. race — humankind
  12. bound — tied together
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to point toward
  15. branch — a division
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bound — obliged
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. ground — crushed
  20. key — the most important part
  21. mate — a friend
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. race — the arms race
  24. key — for a lock

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