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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. tear — from crying
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — the arms race
  10. spell — letters
  11. bound — tied together
  12. tear — to rip
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. spell — magic
  17. tube — a container
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — obliged
  20. tube — the underground
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. branch — a division
  23. spell — a short time
  24. wave — of the sea

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