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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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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: racket · race · leaves · branch · saw · rest · last · current

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. branch — a division
  4. current — of water
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. current — electric
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. last — to go on
  11. saw — the tool
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. race — a contest
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. race — humankind
  19. last — finally
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. rest — what's left
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. current — happening now
  24. last — final

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