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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: arm · race · net · lean · can · branch · bear · fall

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. can — a tin
  3. fall — the season
  4. race — a contest
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. lean — to bend
  7. race — humankind
  8. can — to be able to
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. net — for catching
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bear — the animal
  13. can — a tin
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. branch — a division
  16. net — in sport
  17. fall — to drop
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bear — the animal
  20. lean — thin
  21. fall — to drop
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. net — after costs

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