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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 120 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: pitcher · drill · safe · bass · race · fan · branch · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. race — a contest
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. race — the arms race
  6. branch — a division
  7. bass — the fish
  8. drill — a practice
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. last — finally
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. drill — army training
  19. last — to go on
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. drill — the tool
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. race — humankind
  24. pitcher — a jug

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