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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. prune — to trim
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bear — the animal
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. club — for golf
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — humankind
  11. club — a group
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wind — moving air
  15. race — the arms race
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bear — the animal
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. branch — a division
  22. club — for dancing
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. branch — of a tree

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