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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 116 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of 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. race — a contest
  2. board — a committee
  3. race — the arms race
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. spell — a short time
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. file — a document
  9. spell — magic
  10. root — of a plant
  11. branch — a division
  12. file — a tool
  13. root — the cause
  14. prune — to trim
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. prune — to trim
  17. spell — letters
  18. net — for catching
  19. root — of a word
  20. board — to get on
  21. file — a line of people
  22. race — humankind
  23. net — in sport
  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