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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's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. suit — to fit
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — humankind
  5. staff — employees
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — final
  10. staff — a stick
  11. branch — a division
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. staff — employees
  15. chest — of your body
  16. suit — in cards
  17. last — finally
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. chest — a box
  20. race — the arms race
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. stem — to come from
  23. chest — of your body
  24. suit — clothes

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