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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: tear · pound · branch · race · cabinet · row

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pound — a weight
  6. tear — to rip
  7. row — a line
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. branch — a division
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. row — to paddle
  16. race — humankind
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. race — a contest

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