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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. race — humankind
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. mine — for digging
  8. staff — employees
  9. band — a music group
  10. kick — in football
  11. branch — a division
  12. chip — to eat
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. staff — employees
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. band — a ring
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — a contest
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. staff — a stick

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