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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · bank · toast · cell · clip · arm

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — of a river
  3. race — humankind
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. race — a contest
  6. toast — bread
  7. bank — for money
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. cell — in biology
  10. clip — a video
  11. race — the arms race
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. clip — to cut
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. clip — for paper
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. cell — a phone

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