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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. spell — a short time
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. race — the arms race
  5. tear — from crying
  6. snap — to click
  7. branch — a division
  8. race — a contest
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. spell — magic
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. suit — clothes
  13. tear — to rip
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. suit — in cards
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. file — a line of people
  19. race — humankind
  20. file — a tool
  21. spell — letters
  22. file — a document
  23. tear — from crying
  24. ruler — a monarch

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