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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. race — a contest
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. tube — a container
  5. board — a committee
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. race — humankind
  10. wind — moving air
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — of water
  13. rock — music
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — the underground
  16. spring — a coil
  17. board — to get on
  18. race — the arms race
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rock — a stone
  21. mark — a trace
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. mark — a grade

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