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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: race · branch · net · last · chip · object · bark · pass

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. last — to go on
  4. object — an aim
  5. chip — for betting
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — a contest
  8. bark — to shout
  9. last — final
  10. pass — a permit
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. race — humankind
  15. object — a thing
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. net — for catching
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — to eat
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. last — finally
  23. branch — a division
  24. object — to protest

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