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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 120 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. field — for sport
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. tube — the underground
  5. race — the arms race
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. tube — a container
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bear — the animal
  11. present — a gift
  12. branch — a division
  13. field — farmland
  14. present — there
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bear — the animal
  17. race — humankind
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. race — a contest
  20. present — the time now
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. field — a subject
  23. lie — to recline
  24. lie — an untruth

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