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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. field — farmland
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. race — the arms race
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. race — a contest
  13. foot — a measure
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. field — a subject
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. branch — a division
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. race — humankind
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. field — for sport

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