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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. race — humankind
  3. current — electric
  4. race — a contest
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bat — the animal
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. current — of water
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. branch — a division
  12. current — happening now
  13. face — part of the head
  14. wake — a trail
  15. row — a line
  16. face — to confront
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. face — to point toward
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. race — the arms race
  24. row — to paddle

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