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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. saw — the tool
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. saw — the tool
  6. race — humankind
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. race — a contest
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. race — the arms race
  13. plane — a tool
  14. cap — of ice
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. cap — a lid
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. branch — a division
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. cap — a hat
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. mine — belonging to me

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