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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: sharp · mine · race · arm · press · branch · jam · charge

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. race — a contest
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. mine — for digging
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. sharp — clever
  10. branch — a division
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. race — humankind
  13. race — the arms race
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. charge — a price
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. charge — in control
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. press — newspapers
  22. press — to push
  23. press — a publisher
  24. charge — electricity

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