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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: branch · rest · band · cue · safe · race · capital · bark

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. band — a ring
  4. rest — what's left
  5. race — a contest
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. bark — to shout
  9. race — humankind
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. rest — a break
  13. cue — for pool
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. race — the arms race
  16. cue — a hint
  17. capital — a city
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. capital — money
  21. cue — a signal
  22. band — a music group
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. branch — a division

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