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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cap — a hat
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — the amount
  7. race — the arms race
  8. court — for sport
  9. branch — a division
  10. band — a ring
  11. court — of law
  12. rash — hasty
  13. race — a contest
  14. rash — a series
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. court — of a king
  19. content — happy
  20. band — a music group
  21. cap — of ice
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. race — humankind
  24. rash — on the skin

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