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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. spring — a coil
  3. race — the arms race
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — a face
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. spring — the season
  13. mug — to rob
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. last — to go on
  16. spring — of water
  17. last — final
  18. wake — a trail
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — humankind
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — before a funeral

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