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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. march — the month
  4. shower — rain
  5. march — the month
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. race — a contest
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. branch — a division
  11. bore — to drill
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. game — wild animals
  14. root — of a plant
  15. march — music
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bore — to tire
  19. root — the cause
  20. game — a match
  21. race — humankind
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. shower — to wash
  24. root — of a word

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