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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. can — a tin
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bear — the animal
  7. branch — a division
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. rash — a series
  11. mine — for digging
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. race — humankind
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. dip — to sink
  16. rash — hasty
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. can — a tin
  21. race — a contest
  22. bear — the animal
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. arm — part of the body

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