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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. race — humankind
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. race — a contest
  9. lean — thin
  10. branch — a division
  11. craft — a skill
  12. scale — size or range
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. kick — in football
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. craft — boats
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. lean — to bend
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. race — the arms race
  24. craft — a handicraft

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