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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. rock — music
  3. chest — of your body
  4. current — happening now
  5. chest — a box
  6. present — a gift
  7. branch — a division
  8. rock — a stone
  9. current — electric
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. race — the arms race
  12. ground — a position
  13. present — there
  14. sharp — clever
  15. ground — crushed
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. current — of water
  20. race — a contest
  21. present — the time now
  22. chest — of your body
  23. ground — the earth
  24. race — humankind

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