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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. track — a song
  3. mug — a face
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. race — the arms race
  6. branch — a division
  7. race — a contest
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a path
  10. net — for catching
  11. date — the fruit
  12. race — humankind
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bound — tied together
  15. mug — to rob
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. net — in sport
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. net — after costs
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bound — certain
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. bound — obliged
  24. mug — a cup

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