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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: press · mate · branch · race · bowl · fall · land · pass

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. race — a contest
  3. pass — a permit
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. land — ground
  7. press — to push
  8. race — the arms race
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. fall — the season
  14. mate — a partner
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. fall — to drop
  17. press — a publisher
  18. mate — a friend
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. land — to come down
  21. branch — a division
  22. fall — to drop
  23. land — a country
  24. press — newspapers

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