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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. bear — the animal
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bear — the animal
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — a division
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. race — a contest
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. race — the arms race
  20. cold — not warm
  21. wax — to grow
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. cold — an illness
  24. race — humankind

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