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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: branch · tear · bound · coach · perch · race · mate · sharp

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. perch — the fish
  6. race — the arms race
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bound — certain
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. mate — a friend
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bound — obliged
  14. race — a contest
  15. tear — from crying
  16. branch — a division
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mate — a partner
  19. tear — to rip
  20. sharp — clever
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bound — tied together
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

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