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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. race — the arms race
  3. spell — magic
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. last — final
  7. net — in sport
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. last — to go on
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. branch — a division
  14. net — after costs
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. spell — letters
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. race — humankind
  20. spell — a short time
  21. last — finally
  22. toast — bread
  23. race — a contest
  24. fan — a supporter

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