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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: branch · last · cabinet · net · land · race · rock · chest

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. last — to go on
  4. race — the arms race
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. land — a country
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. last — final
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. chest — of your body
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — ground
  13. branch — a division
  14. chest — a box
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. chest — of your body
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — after costs
  20. last — finally
  21. rock — music
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. rock — a stone
  24. race — humankind

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