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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: lash · branch · court · hide · race · wake · mine · rock

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. court — of law
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. race — a contest
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. rock — a stone
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. mine — for digging
  11. wake — a trail
  12. race — humankind
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. rock — music
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. branch — a division
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — for sport

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