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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 broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. land — ground
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. race — the arms race
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. branch — a division
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. degree — from a university
  13. land — to come down
  14. degree — temperature
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. degree — an amount
  20. race — humankind
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. land — a country
  23. race — a contest
  24. lie — to recline

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