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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: branch · arm · race · fall · drill · wake · bear · land

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bear — the animal
  4. land — a country
  5. fall — to drop
  6. land — to come down
  7. race — a contest
  8. bear — the animal
  9. drill — a practice
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. fall — to drop
  13. branch — a division
  14. wake — a trail
  15. race — the arms race
  16. fall — the season
  17. land — ground
  18. race — humankind
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. drill — army training
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. drill — the tool

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