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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bank — of a river
  5. bank — for money
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bank — for money
  8. race — a contest
  9. present — a gift
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. race — the arms race
  12. stem — to come from
  13. pound — a weight
  14. race — humankind
  15. present — the time now
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to click

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