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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: row · calf · face · race · tear · jam · rule · branch

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  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. race — a contest
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. face — to point toward
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rule — a law
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. row — to paddle
  11. tear — from crying
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. row — a line
  14. tear — to rip
  15. rule — government
  16. face — to confront
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. race — humankind
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. face — part of the head
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  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