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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. race — humankind
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. race — a contest
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. wake — a trail
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. court — for sport
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bore — to tire
  14. court — of a king
  15. race — the arms race
  16. fork — in a road
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. court — of law
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the fish
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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