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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 120 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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. race — a contest
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rest — what's left
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. rest — what's left
  10. branch — a division
  11. spring — a coil
  12. tear — to rip
  13. race — humankind
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. rest — a break
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. chest — of your body
  20. spring — the season
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. spring — of water
  24. tear — from crying

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