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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. race — the arms race
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. clip — to cut
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. clip — for paper
  8. rock — a stone
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. wind — moving air
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. clip — a video
  13. lean — thin
  14. branch — a division
  15. lean — to bend
  16. firm — steady
  17. race — humankind
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. firm — decided
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. race — a contest

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