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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. race — humankind
  3. race — the arms race
  4. march — the month
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. spell — magic
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. march — the month
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. face — to confront
  13. race — a contest
  14. face — to point toward
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. spell — a short time
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. spell — letters
  19. rock — music
  20. branch — a division
  21. rock — a stone
  22. face — part of the head
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. march — music

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