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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — a contest
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bulb — for light
  6. race — humankind
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. band — a music group
  10. bulb — for light
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. band — a ring
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. file — a tool
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. branch — a division
  19. file — a document
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. file — a line of people
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. band — a rubber band

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