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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. key — for a lock
  10. clip — to cut
  11. branch — a division
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. key — in music
  14. race — humankind
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. key — the most important part
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — for paper
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. race — the arms race
  21. bark — to shout
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. shower — rain
  24. race — a contest

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