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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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Word bank
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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 · rash · chest · hand · fan · branch · craft · bay

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. 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. fan — a supporter
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. race — the arms race
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. rash — a series
  8. craft — boats
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. hand — in cards
  11. branch — a division
  12. hand — help
  13. chest — a box
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. craft — a skill
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. race — humankind
  24. 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