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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  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. race — the arms race
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. club — for dancing
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mug — a cup
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — of water
  8. mine — for digging
  9. perch — the fish
  10. club — a group
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. spring — a coil
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. race — a contest
  16. mug — a face
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. club — for golf
  21. branch — a division
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. calf — of the leg
  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