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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: race · branch · calf · wind · cap · bat · lie · bark

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. bark — to shout
  4. wind — moving air
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. race — humankind
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cap — a lid
  10. wind — moving air
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. cap — a hat
  15. lie — to recline
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. branch — a division
  19. race — a contest
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bat — the animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. lie — an untruth

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