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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: spell · race · march · chip · toast · branch · tube · court

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. march — music
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. court — for sport
  7. chip — to eat
  8. spell — a short time
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. toast — bread
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. march — the month
  14. court — of law
  15. race — a contest
  16. tube — the underground
  17. race — humankind
  18. chip — for betting
  19. spell — magic
  20. march — the month
  21. court — of a king
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. tube — a container
  24. race — the arms race

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