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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. club — for dancing
  3. chip — to eat
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bank — of a river
  6. race — humankind
  7. saw — the tool
  8. field — a subject
  9. race — a contest
  10. field — farmland
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. club — a group
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. chip — for betting
  15. field — for sport
  16. bank — for money
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. race — the arms race
  22. bank — for money
  23. club — for golf
  24. branch — a division

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