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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. spell — letters
  3. net — in sport
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — a contest
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — all right
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. shower — rain
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — to push
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. spell — magic
  16. press — a publisher
  17. fine — high quality
  18. net — for catching
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. net — after costs
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. spell — a short time
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. branch — a division

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