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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. stand — to bear
  4. face — to confront
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. face — part of the head
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — humankind
  9. lean — to bend
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. craft — a skill
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — the animal
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. craft — boats
  20. branch — a division
  21. lean — thin
  22. face — to point toward
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. stand — for spectators

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