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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 120 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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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: saw · race · march · kid · branch · wake · stick · rash

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. rash — a series
  3. branch — a division
  4. rash — hasty
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. race — the arms race
  7. march — the month
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. march — the month
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wake — a trail
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. kid — to tease
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — child
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. march — music
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. race — a contest
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. race — humankind
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. wake — before a funeral

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