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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — the arms race
  3. key — the most important part
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. bear — the animal
  8. branch — a division
  9. key — for a lock
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. wind — moving air
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. pound — a weight
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bass — the fish
  19. key — in music
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bass — low music
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. race — humankind

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