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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: file · perch · branch · pop · arm · leaves · wind · race

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. file — a line of people
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. perch — the fish
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. pop — music
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pop — to visit
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. pop — soda
  14. wind — moving air
  15. file — a document
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. race — a contest
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. file — a tool
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. race — the arms race
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. leaves — lets stay

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