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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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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: pop · race · wound · chest · stick · branch · squash · rock

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. chest — a box
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. rock — music
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — humankind
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — soda
  9. squash — to crush
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. chest — of your body
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. pop — to visit
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. branch — a division
  18. rock — a stone
  19. squash — the sport
  20. chest — of your body
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. race — the arms race
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. branch — of a bank

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