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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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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: wake · shower · pop · craft · last · rest · race · branch

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. rest — a break
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pop — soda
  5. last — finally
  6. pop — music
  7. last — final
  8. wake — a trail
  9. rest — what's left
  10. craft — boats
  11. pop — to visit
  12. race — humankind
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. branch — a division
  17. craft — a skill
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. shower — rain
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. race — a contest
  23. shower — to wash
  24. last — to go on

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