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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bound — tied together
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. bound — obliged
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bat — the animal
  8. drill — the tool
  9. stock — goods
  10. race — a contest
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — a lid
  13. stock — shares
  14. branch — a division
  15. race — humankind
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — a practice
  18. cap — of ice
  19. bound — certain
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. race — the arms race

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