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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. branch — a division
  4. net — in sport
  5. wax — to grow
  6. net — after costs
  7. rest — what's left
  8. mark — a grade
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. net — for catching
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. race — a contest
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. mark — a trace
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. rest — a break
  19. chest — of your body
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. rest — what's left
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. race — the arms race

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