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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. race — humankind
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. race — a contest
  6. spell — letters
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. stock — shares
  10. land — a country
  11. land — to come down
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. spell — a short time
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. race — the arms race
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. stock — goods
  19. land — ground
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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