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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. race — the arms race
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. kid — child
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. race — a contest
  7. staff — employees
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — tied together
  13. branch — a division
  14. current — electric
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. staff — a stick
  18. race — humankind
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. current — of water
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bound — obliged
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. current — happening now

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