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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  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. bank — for money
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bank — for money
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. swing — in golf
  6. bank — of a river
  7. swing — to play on
  8. hand — in cards
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — in a race
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. rash — a series
  13. race — a contest
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. hand — help
  18. swing — music
  19. pit — a hole
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. race — the arms race
  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