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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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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: cabinet · tube · mark · chest · ruler · race · fall · branch

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. tube — a container
  5. chest — of your body
  6. branch — a division
  7. race — humankind
  8. fall — to drop
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mark — a trace
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. fall — the season
  13. race — the arms race
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. fall — to drop
  16. mark — a grade
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. chest — of your body
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. chest — a box
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. race — a contest

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