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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. roll — a list
  5. race — humankind
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. tube — the underground
  8. fall — to drop
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — a measure
  11. tube — a container
  12. squash — to crush
  13. race — the arms race
  14. fall — to drop
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. fall — the season
  21. roll — a cake
  22. lean — thin
  23. race — a contest
  24. squash — the sport

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