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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: toast · tear · key · branch · bass · race · bulb · last

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bass — the fish
  3. last — final
  4. last — finally
  5. race — a contest
  6. tear — from crying
  7. branch — a division
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — low music
  10. race — humankind
  11. tear — from crying
  12. toast — bread
  13. tear — to rip
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. last — to go on
  16. key — for a lock
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. key — in music
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. bulb — for light
  24. branch — of a tree

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