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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cabinet · lash · spell · fall · mine · race · branch · can

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. spell — letters
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. race — the arms race
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — a division
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. race — humankind
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. can — a tin
  21. fall — the season
  22. spell — a short time
  23. mine — for digging
  24. spell — magic

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