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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.

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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: spell · race · branch · stand · staff · date · cell · rock

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. stand — to bear
  3. cell — in biology
  4. rock — music
  5. spell — letters
  6. staff — employees
  7. race — a contest
  8. staff — employees
  9. rock — a stone
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. race — the arms race
  13. branch — a division
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. staff — a stick
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — a short time
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. date — the fruit
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — a phone
  24. date — on the calendar

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