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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 116 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. race — the arms race
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. shower — to wash
  6. branch — a division
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — rain
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. march — the month
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. march — music
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. rock — a stone
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ball — a dance
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. race — humankind
  21. march — the month
  22. race — a contest
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rock — music

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