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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. race — a contest
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. row — to paddle
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a tool
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. hand — in cards
  11. plane — a tool
  12. hand — help
  13. race — the arms race
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. file — a document
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. race — humankind
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. row — a line

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