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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. race — the arms race
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. race — humankind
  5. press — a publisher
  6. pop — to visit
  7. swing — in golf
  8. pop — music
  9. wound — an injury
  10. swing — music
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. pop — soda
  13. branch — a division
  14. swing — to play on
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. race — a contest
  18. press — to push
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. wound — an injury
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. press — newspapers
  24. lash — an eyelash

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