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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. race — the arms race
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. plane — a tool
  5. tear — to rip
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. branch — a division
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — to breed
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. tear — from crying
  14. mate — a partner
  15. rash — a series
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — to tease
  20. race — a contest
  21. rash — hasty
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. race — humankind
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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