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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. race — humankind
  3. drill — the tool
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. track — a path
  6. race — the arms race
  7. row — a line
  8. bear — the animal
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. race — a contest
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. hand — help
  14. branch — a division
  15. track — a song
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bear — the animal
  19. drill — army training
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. track — to keep track
  24. hand — in cards

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