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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: nail · file · tube · arm · squash · trunk · branch · race

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. squash — to crush
  3. tube — the underground
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. file — a line of people
  7. race — humankind
  8. file — a tool
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. race — a contest
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. tube — a container
  18. race — the arms race
  19. branch — a division
  20. file — a document
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — a part of something

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