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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: swing · last · race · wave · branch · fine · arm · stem

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. race — humankind
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. swing — music
  6. race — a contest
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. branch — a division
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. stem — to come from
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. swing — to play on
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. last — final
  18. last — finally
  19. race — the arms race
  20. swing — in golf
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. fine — all right
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. fine — high quality

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