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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. spell — a short time
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. spell — magic
  8. mark — a grade
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. spell — letters
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. snap — to click
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. capital — money
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. race — the arms race
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bass — the fish
  19. capital — a city
  20. race — humankind
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. race — a contest
  23. branch — a division
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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