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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. race — humankind
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — low music
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. shower — rain
  12. ball — a great time
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. charge — in control
  15. race — a contest
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. ball — a dance
  19. prune — to trim
  20. race — the arms race
  21. branch — a division
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. charge — a price
  24. charge — electricity

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