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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. race — a contest
  3. charge — in control
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. snap — to click
  7. branch — a division
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. charge — a price
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. craft — a skill
  13. charge — electricity
  14. band — a music group
  15. race — the arms race
  16. band — a ring
  17. race — humankind
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bear — the animal
  20. craft — boats
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. bear — the animal

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