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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. squash — the sport
  4. stand — to bear
  5. lie — to recline
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. squash — to crush
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. mine — for digging
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. race — a contest
  15. bank — of a river
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. race — humankind
  19. branch — a division
  20. snap — to click
  21. race — the arms race
  22. bank — for money
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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