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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: chest · branch · wind · race · pit · fork · lie · ruler

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. chest — of your body
  3. wind — moving air
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wind — moving air
  6. lie — to recline
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fork — in a road
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — a hole
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. chest — a box
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. race — the arms race
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. race — humankind
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. race — a contest
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. fork — a garden tool
  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