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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: date · bass · track · hand · race · lean · object · branch

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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. lean — to rest against
  4. race — the arms race
  5. hand — help
  6. bass — the fish
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. race — a contest
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a song
  12. hand — in cards
  13. lean — thin
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. lean — to bend
  16. track — a path
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. object — a thing
  19. bass — low music
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. object — to protest
  22. object — an aim
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a tree

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