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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bound — obliged
  5. race — humankind
  6. capital — money
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. race — the arms race
  10. pound — a weight
  11. fork — in a road
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. branch — a division
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. bound — tied together
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bound — certain
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. capital — a city
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. race — a contest

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