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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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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: board · wound · race · mouse · cell · rest · branch · net

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rest — what's left
  5. net — in sport
  6. board — to get on
  7. cell — a phone
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. rest — a break
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. race — humankind
  12. net — for catching
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. wound — an injury
  17. cell — in biology
  18. net — after costs
  19. race — the arms race
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. board — a committee
  23. race — a contest
  24. branch — a division

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