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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: rock · race · branch · sharp · march · key · object · tube

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. race — humankind
  3. rock — music
  4. key — in music
  5. object — to protest
  6. sharp — clever
  7. object — an aim
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. key — the most important part
  10. branch — a division
  11. object — a thing
  12. tube — a container
  13. race — a contest
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. race — the arms race
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. march — music
  22. key — for a lock
  23. tube — the underground
  24. rock — a stone

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