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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. squash — the sport
  3. bank — for money
  4. bound — certain
  5. field — a subject
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. field — for sport
  10. branch — a division
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bank — of a river
  13. race — the arms race
  14. bank — for money
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — to crush
  20. race — a contest
  21. field — farmland
  22. bulb — for light
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. race — humankind

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