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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 116 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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. race — the arms race
  4. last — final
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bound — obliged
  8. last — to go on
  9. club — a group
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bound — certain
  13. club — for golf
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bass — low music
  16. shower — rain
  17. last — finally
  18. race — a contest
  19. branch — a division
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. bound — tied together
  24. club — for dancing

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