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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: key · race · rash · board · dip · tube · wake · branch

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. tube — the underground
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. key — in music
  7. rash — hasty
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. key — for a lock
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. race — humankind
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. key — the most important part
  14. wake — a trail
  15. race — a contest
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. branch — a division
  18. dip — to sink
  19. tube — a container
  20. rash — a series
  21. board — to get on
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. race — the arms race

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