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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. bank — for money
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. game — wild animals
  5. branch — a division
  6. bank — of a river
  7. race — a contest
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bank — for money
  11. bat — the animal
  12. pop — music
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. staff — employees
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. race — the arms race
  18. game — a match
  19. staff — employees
  20. pop — soda
  21. pop — to visit
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. staff — a stick
  24. stem — of a plant

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