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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 120 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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. race — the arms race
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. net — for catching
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. ground — the earth
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. net — in sport
  16. race — a contest
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. race — humankind
  19. ground — a position
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. wax — to grow
  22. ground — crushed
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. net — after costs

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