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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. race — a contest
  3. current — happening now
  4. race — the arms race
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. cell — a phone
  8. fall — to drop
  9. current — of water
  10. branch — a division
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. current — electric
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. perch — the fish
  16. tube — a container
  17. tear — from crying
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. tube — the underground
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. fall — to drop
  23. cell — in biology
  24. fall — the season

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