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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. ground — a position
  3. file — a line of people
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. file — a tool
  6. ground — the earth
  7. race — humankind
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. rock — a stone
  10. branch — a division
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. court — for sport
  13. ground — crushed
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. court — of a king
  18. file — a document
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. race — the arms race
  22. rock — music
  23. court — of law
  24. race — a contest

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