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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: pass · chest · branch · race · tear · squash

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. pass — a permit
  3. tear — to rip
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. chest — of your body
  6. race — the arms race
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. squash — the sport
  9. branch — a division
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. chest — of your body
  12. race — humankind
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. race — a contest
  18. squash — to crush

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