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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — of a river
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bank — for money
  10. branch — a division
  11. cold — an illness
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. rush — hurry
  16. race — humankind
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. cold — not warm
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. race — a contest
  23. lie — to recline
  24. racket — for tennis

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