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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 120 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — a division
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. file — a tool
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. race — a contest
  8. file — a line of people
  9. cue — a signal
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. race — the arms race
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. cue — for pool
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. file — a document
  17. cue — a hint
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. foot — a measure
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. race — humankind
  24. season — in 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