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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 chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. wind — moving air
  3. race — a contest
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. season — of the year
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. face — part of the head
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. race — the arms race
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. branch — a division
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. game — a match
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. race — humankind
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. game — wild animals
  23. face — to confront
  24. season — in 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