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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: race · mine · fan · branch · foot · board · kid · rock

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. mine — for digging
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — humankind
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. kid — to tease
  8. rock — music
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. race — a contest
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. board — to get on
  18. kid — child
  19. rock — a stone
  20. foot — a measure
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. board — a committee
  24. fan — a supporter

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