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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: temple · mine · race · drill · branch · wind · pitch · firm

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. mine — for digging
  5. firm — decided
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — a contest
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. race — humankind
  13. drill — the tool
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wind — moving air
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. firm — a company
  19. branch — a division
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. firm — steady
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. wind — moving air
  24. drill — army training

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