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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. branch — a division
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rule — government
  5. season — of the year
  6. scale — size or range
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. race — the arms race
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. scale — in music
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — a contest
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. rule — a law
  20. season — in sport
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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