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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. cap — a hat
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. cap — a lid
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. race — the arms race
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. pit — in a race
  14. race — a contest
  15. bark — to shout
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. race — humankind
  18. stock — shares
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. pit — a hole
  22. cap — of ice
  23. stock — goods
  24. branch — a division

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