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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: race · rash · dip · row · band · rock · branch · lie

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. rock — music
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — hasty
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. lie — to recline
  8. band — a ring
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. branch — a division
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. row — to paddle
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. band — a music group
  16. race — a contest
  17. rock — a stone
  18. race — humankind
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. rash — a series
  21. row — a line
  22. dip — to sink
  23. race — the arms race
  24. dip — to dunk

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