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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. mate — a friend
  3. race — humankind
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for dancing
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. mate — a partner
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. club — for golf
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. can — a tin
  13. stem — to come from
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mate — to breed
  17. race — the arms race
  18. race — a contest
  19. current — electric
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. current — of water
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. current — happening now
  24. stem — of a plant

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