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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. rash — a series
  4. suit — to fit
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. rash — hasty
  7. object — an aim
  8. row — to paddle
  9. object — to protest
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. spring — a coil
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. race — a contest
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. suit — in cards
  17. spring — of water
  18. branch — a division
  19. object — a thing
  20. row — a line
  21. march — the month
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — humankind
  24. spring — the season

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