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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: board · branch · stem · shower · mark · race · track · pop

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. branch — a division
  5. race — a contest
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. mark — a trace
  8. board — to get on
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. board — a committee
  11. pop — to visit
  12. track — a path
  13. pop — soda
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. stem — to come from
  16. pop — music
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. track — a song
  19. race — humankind
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. mark — a grade
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — rain
  24. track — to keep track

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