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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 124 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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. bulb — for light
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. branch — a division
  9. last — final
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. hand — help
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. band — a ring
  19. last — finally
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. race — a contest
  22. spring — a coil
  23. band — a music group
  24. last — to go on

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