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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: cabinet · branch · race · jam · arm · dip · wind · rule

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. rule — government
  6. dip — to sink
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. race — the arms race
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. wind — moving air
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. race — humankind
  16. rule — a law
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. race — a contest
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. branch — of a bank
  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