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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · tear · race · branch · lean · tube · object · court

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. court — for sport
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. race — the arms race
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. tear — from crying
  7. object — an aim
  8. tube — a container
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. object — to protest
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — thin
  13. court — of law
  14. tear — from crying
  15. race — a contest
  16. branch — a division
  17. tear — to rip
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. tube — the underground
  20. object — a thing
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. lean — to bend
  23. court — of a king
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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