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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. spring — of water
  4. file — a tool
  5. race — humankind
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. race — the arms race
  8. spring — the season
  9. foot — a measure
  10. branch — a division
  11. track — a song
  12. race — a contest
  13. track — a path
  14. pop — soda
  15. pop — to visit
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pop — music
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. track — to keep track
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a line of people
  23. spring — a coil
  24. foot — part of the body

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