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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. branch — a division
  3. spell — letters
  4. race — humankind
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — a subject
  7. mate — to breed
  8. current — happening now
  9. spell — magic
  10. bank — of a river
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. current — of water
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bank — for money
  15. field — for sport
  16. current — electric
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. race — the arms race
  19. mate — a friend
  20. race — a contest
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. bank — for money
  23. mate — a partner
  24. spell — a short time

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