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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: race · branch · net · roll · jam · key · ground · spell

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. branch — a division
  3. spell — letters
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. net — after costs
  6. race — humankind
  7. roll — a cake
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — in music
  13. net — for catching
  14. race — the arms race
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. net — in sport
  18. ground — a position
  19. key — the most important part
  20. ground — the earth
  21. roll — a list
  22. race — a contest
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — a short time

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