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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: dip · leaves · firm · cue · mine · race · branch · ball

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cue — a hint
  4. firm — steady
  5. firm — decided
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. ball — a great time
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. cue — for pool
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. ball — a dance
  12. race — the arms race
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. mine — for digging
  15. branch — a division
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. race — humankind
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. race — a contest
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. dip — to sink
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. leaves — lets stay

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