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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. drill — a practice
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. spring — a coil
  5. tube — the underground
  6. branch — a division
  7. drill — army training
  8. race — humankind
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. drill — the tool
  14. land — to come down
  15. race — the arms race
  16. land — a country
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. land — ground
  21. spring — the season
  22. tube — a container
  23. race — a contest
  24. spring — of water

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