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

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. shower — rain
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. shower — to wash
  5. race — the arms race
  6. cold — an illness
  7. stand — to bear
  8. season — of the year
  9. race — a contest
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bore — to drill
  12. stem — to come from
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. cold — not warm
  17. file — a document
  18. season — in sport
  19. race — humankind
  20. file — a tool
  21. bore — to tire
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. file — a line of people
  24. stem — a stem cell

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