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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. race — the arms race
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. perch — the fish
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — money
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. firm — steady
  15. date — the fruit
  16. firm — a company
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. race — humankind
  21. firm — decided
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. branch — a division
  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