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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: race · content · lean · cell · cue · toast · branch · wave

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. cell — in biology
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — a contest
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. cue — a hint
  13. content — happy
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. cue — for pool
  16. content — the amount
  17. branch — a division
  18. race — the arms race
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. cue — a signal
  21. lean — to bend
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. cell — a phone
  24. toast — bread

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