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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. face — to confront
  3. craft — boats
  4. race — humankind
  5. current — happening now
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bark — to shout
  8. current — electric
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. craft — a skill
  11. race — a contest
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. field — farmland
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. current — of water
  23. face — to point toward
  24. nail — for a hammer

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